Whistleblower who warned about Florida state parks fired by state agency

James Gaddis had just returned home Saturday afternoon when he found a dismissal letter waiting on his townhouse’s doorstep.

The former two-year Florida Department of Environmental Protection employee told the Tampa Bay Times he was the one who leaked information about the state’s plans to build golf courses, 350-room hotels, pickleball courts and more at nine state parks, including two in the Tampa Bay area.

Now, the agency appears to be firing him, according to a copy of the letter shared with the Times.

Gaddis, 41, who was hired by the agency as a cartographer, said his actions weren’t political, and that there were two main reasons he chose to speak out: The rushed secrecy that was behind the park plans, and the vast environmental destruction that would be caused if they were to be completed.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2024/09/03/florida-state-parks-whistleblower-james-gaddis-leaked-plans/