Florida’s COVID-19 Dashboard Designer Files Whistleblower Complaint Against State Department of Health

The designer of Florida’s COVID-9 dashboard recently filed a whistleblower complaint against the Florida Department of Health after being fired for insubordination.

The former department employee, Rebekah Jones, claims she was wrongfully terminated after she refused to falsify data in the state’s COVID-19 databases as the state pushed hard to reopen its economy in May.

Jones was interviewed by CBS12 News in June, and discussed what she referred to as “corruption” in the state Department of Health. According to her, DOH workers were routinely deleting cases and data to make the state’s numbers look better in the days leading up to the 4th of July weekend as well.

Governor Ron DeSantis, in response to the claims, said Jones was fired because she put data on the website that went against the judgment of state doctors.

COVID-19 whistleblowers abound

As the months stretch on with the COVID-19 pandemic, private businesses and government agencies alike are producing more and more whistleblowers calling attention to employer negligence and fraud surrounding pandemic-related issues. The regulations regarding pandemic safety vary from state to state (and even from city to city in some cases), but in any circumstance, it is important to properly report internal wrongdoing as soon as possible if you become aware of issues with lack of compliance with local regulations.

For more information about the legal action you can take if you believe your employer has been negligent in creating a safe environment during the COVID-19 pandemic, contact an experienced whistleblower lawyer at Kardell Law Group.