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Ron DeSantis and the Whistleblower that Won't Give UP [1]

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Date: 2023-04-01  

Credit: Rebekah Jones Campaign

On December 7, 2020 Rebekah Jones’ life forever changed. Several armed State Police officers entered her home looking to obtain her computer. While law enforcement searched the home, they can be heard yelling at Jones’ husband to come down as well as Jones herself stating that guns were pointed at her young children. According to Jones, the state police did not present the search warrant until leaving the home.

After creating the COVID-19 Dashboard for the Florida Department of Health (FL DOH), Jones was terminated in May 2020 after she refused to manipulate data so that Florida could ease it’s COVID-19 restrictions. Jones was fired without cause and was even offered a settlement to resign, but she refused. A spokesperson for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at the time that she "exhibited a repeated course of insubordination during her time with the department."

Over the next several months the FL DOH and Governor Ron DeSantis worked to discredit Jones with lies and hate. Even after all of this, Jones never stopped her fight or caved to intimidation. Jones to this day is still fighting DeSantis and FL DOH to clear her name.

Fast Forward to March 2023

Rebekah Jones has filed a lawsuit to get her job back. She claims that her firing in March 2020 violated due process and free speech rights according to an article by City and Sun Florida. In addition to getting her job back she is seeking back wages, compensation for emotional distress and punitive damages. In a statement by Jones she stated she was terminated “in retaliation for complaining about the state's falsehoods minimizing the rampant pandemic numbers throughout the state, as well as suppressing the truth from the public.”

Governor DeSantis' office has not responded to a request for comment.

If you are interested in learning more about the history and details I urge you to read the following articles and stay up to date on this developing case.

The redacted documents being published were received directly from Rebekah Jones and I have been given express permission to release them publicly. All Personal information has been removed in order to protect the privacy of all parties.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/1/2161388/-Ron-DeSantis-and-the-Whistleblower-that-Won-t-Give-UP

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