The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) fired a worker for allegedly leaking the department’s plan to add recreation and lodging facilities across Florida’s parks, according to a local outlet.
The FDEP said in a termination letter obtained by ABC Action News that James Gaddis admitted to leaking the department’s plan to build golf courses, pickleball courts and other facilities in state parks, the outlet reported Tuesday.
“Recently, the Department became aware that you intentionally released unauthorized and inaccurate information to the public. At least one document was created, authored, and disseminated by you without direction or permission. This information was further confirmed by your verbal admission. You admitted to creating this document during work hours using Department equipment,” the letter alleged, according to the outlet.
“Your actions are violations of the Department’s policies and procedures and have put us in the position that we are taking this action,” the letter reportedly read in part.
Gaddis alleged in an apparent GoFundMe campaign that he was fired Aug. 30 for blowing the whistle on the FDEP’s “secret, fast-tracked plan to build golf courses, 350-room hotels, disc golf courts, and pickleball courts within critical habitats across 9 of our Florida State Parks.” (RELATED: ‘They Didn’t Want To Hear It’: Boeing Whistleblower Rips Company Executives For Ignoring ‘Absolute Chaos’)
The FDEP announced the plan — the “2024-25 Great Outdoors Initiative” — Aug. 19.
The initiative promised more campsites, lodges, cabins and outdoor recreation facilities for games such as pickleball, golf, disc golf and paddling on park property, the announcement revealed.
The initiative was geared towards “reinforcing the state’s dedication to conservation, the outdoor recreation economy and a high quality of life for Floridians.”
The FDEP directed Gaddis to create nine maps detailing the proposals, the GoFundMe page alleged
The GoFundMe campaign slammed the alleged infrastructure proposals as “atrocious” as well as “shocking and destructive.” The campaign claims Gaddis then decided to publish the maps and the accompanying proposal summaries — a decision that allegedly “ended my career with the Florida Park Service.”
The proposals, once public, drew bipartisan criticism in Florida, according to ABC Action News. The FDEP reportedly suspended the plans and Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would listen to the public on the matter.
Florida lawmakers here calling on @FLDEPNews and EOG to “publicly release all communications with any of the people or organizations involved with this state park plan.” https://t.co/thn2uM0tja
— Forrest Saunders (@FBSaunders) September 3, 2024
“I knew that sounding the alarm was a risky move. However, I saw myself as a public servant first and felt that it was the only ethical thing to do,” the GoFundMe page reads.
Gaddis had been working with the FDEP’s Office of Park Planning for over two years, according to his LinkedIn page.
The campaign has raked in nearly $200,000 — far higher than the original target of $10,000 — as of the time of this report.
