The controversy surrounding the Florida State Parks plans has taken a dramatic turn with the emergence of a whistleblower who claims to have leaked confidential documents to the media. According to an article published in Yahoo News, James Gaddis, a cartographer who worked with the state's Office of Park Planning, has come forward to expose what he alleges are plans to devastate environmentally critical habitats in the state's parks. Gaddis, who was employed by the Office of Park Planning for over two years, reportedly grew concerned about the "rushed secrecy" surrounding the park plans and discovered that they would result in significant environmental destruction.
In an interview with the media, Gaddis described the proposals as "the absolute flagrant disregard for the critical, globally imperiled habitat in these parks." Specifically... Gaddis lamented the plans for a golf course at Jonathan Dickinson State Park near Jupiter Inlet and a 350-room hotel at Anastasia State Park in Saint Augustine, both on Florida's East Coast.
He accused the Governor's office, led by Governor Ron DeSantis, of issuing hushed orders to push the proposals through without public input. Gaddis claimed that his senior colleagues directed him to hurry up with his mapping so that the plans could be put into bills and passed without public scrutiny. He characterized the secrecy as "confusing and very frustrating," stating that "no state agency should be behaving like this." Following the leak... the Florida Department of Environmental Protection tracked down Gaddis and dismissed him, citing his unauthorized release of confidential information.
According to his dismissal letter, Gaddis "intentionally released unauthorized and inaccurate information to the public" and created, "authored," "and disseminated a document without direction or permission." The information in this article was first published in Yahoo News.
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