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James Gaddis alleges that the Florida Department of
Environmental Protection retaliated against him for sharing
details of the proposals, which caused bipartisan outrage and
sparked protests. Ultimately the plans were scuttled.
A spokesperson for the department declined to comment, saying
the agency does not do so with pending litigation.
Gaddis, who was a consultant in DEP's Office of Park Planning,
says he was directed to draw up “secret maps” to build golf
courses, hotels and pickleball courts in nine parks. Park
staffers were ordered not to talk to any colleagues about the
proposals, which in Gaddis' view amounted to destroying
“globally significant” environments.
The experience felt like “mapping out a future crime scene,”
according to the lawsuit, which was filed in Leon County.
Gaddis copied documents onto a flash drive and shared it with an
unnamed intermediary, the lawsuit says, and the next day the
Tampa Bay Times wrote about the plans.
Gaddis says he was called into a meeting by a supervisor and
asked if he shared the documents, which he admitted to. He was
put on administrative leave and later fired, and the suit says
that amounted to disparate treatment and retaliation.
The complaint seeks damages of at least $100,000.
The Republican-dominated state Legislature has since passed a
bill banning development in state parks, and DeSantis signed it
into law.
Gaddis started an online fundraiser to help cover expenses, with
an initial goal of $10,000. As of June 11, it had brought in
more than $258,000.
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