TALLAHASSEE — More than $200,000 poured in this week for a former Florida Department of Environmental Protection employee who was fired because he released information about a proposal to add golf courses and resort-style lodges at state parks.
The GoFundMe page set up by the former employee, James Gaddis, had drawn more than 5,300 contributions by Thursday morning. Many people made anonymous contributions to the single father who worked for the state for 12 years.
Gaddis worked the past two years as a cartographer, mapping Florida’s mosaic of conservation lands, especially state parks, at an annual salary of $49,346.
Gaddis wrote on his GoFundMe page he knew “sounding the alarm was a risky move,” but that in making the plans public, “I saw myself as a public servant first and felt that it was the only ethical thing to do.”
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“I was directed to create nine maps depicting shocking and destructive infrastructure proposals, while keeping quiet as they were pushed through an accelerated and under-the-radar public engagement process,” Gaddis wrote.
Gaddis initially shared documents about the department’s “Great Outdoors Initiative” with the Tampa Bay Times. He told the Times his decision to release the plans stemmed from rushed secrecy of the proposal and potential environmental destruction.
Gaddis set a goal of $10,000 with the GoFundMe page.
A Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman said this week the agency doesn’t comment on personnel matters.
After the information got out, the parks proposal faced a bipartisan backlash. The state last week backtracked on the initiative, and Gov. Ron DeSantis sought to distance himself from the proposal.
DeSantis said information was “leaked” to a “left wing group to try to create a narrative” against the proposal, which included golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County and lodges of up to 350 rooms at Anastasia State Park in St. Johns County and Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Walton County.
DeSantis also said the proposal was “half-baked” and “not ready for prime time,” before saying he was “totally fine to just do nothing and do no improvements, if that’s what the general public wants.”
ALL IN
With Rep. David Silvers, D-Lake Clarke Shores, and Rep. Rick Roth, R-West Palm Beach, filing annual financial-disclosure reports last week, every legislator beat a final deadline for submitting the information.
All but five House members and four senators met an initial July 1 deadline. Lawmakers face fines of $25 a day — for up to 60 days — if the forms aren’t filed by Sept. 1.
Lawmakers and other officials are required to submit information about their incomes, along with listing assets and liabilities.
With all the reports in, the average net worth of House members was $6.1 million, down from $6.54 million in reports filed last year.
The House average was skewed Rep. Kevin Steele, a Dade City Republican who posted a net worth of $307.8 million.
Steele founded DataLink Software, a Tampa-based health-care technology company.
Without Steele, the average would drop to $3.5 million.
In the Senate, the average net worth was $5.9 million, up from $5.5 million in reports filed last year.
The Senate was topped by incoming Minority Leader Jason Pizzo, a Sunny Isles Beach Democrat who posted a net worth of $59.1 million. More than half of Pizzo’s net worth was tied to the estate of his father Kenneth Pizzo, a real-estate developer who died in October 2021.
Next highest was Sen. Tom Wright, R-New Smyrna Beach, at $40 million.
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GAMEDAY RON
DeSantis made three trips to early-season college football games — in Ireland, Gainesville and Tallahassee — and didn’t appear impressed with the play of the Florida State Seminoles and the Florida Gators.
“This morning, I think it was probably a rough morning for a lot of Florida State Seminole fans after last night,” DeSantis said during an appearance in Daytona Beach on Tuesday, the day after FSU lost to Boston College. “You know, we root, we want all the teams to do well. And I also know we’ve got a lot of UF fans in this area, and Saturday was not the best day for that, either.”
FSU fell to 0-2 after a 28-13 home loss to Boston College. Florida opened the season at home Saturday and got pasted 41-17 by the University of Miami.
DeSantis on Wednesday revisited the Gators game during an appearance at the 2024 Children and Families Summit.
“If you’re a Florida State fan it wasn’t good. If you’re a Gator fan …,” DeSantis said. “I guess the Miami Hurricanes look like they’re really good. So, if we have Miami fans, you guys, you guys got a shot.”
SOCIAL MEDIA POST OF THE WEEK: “First, to my Parkland families, I am so sorry. I know it opens up all the wounds every time there’s yet another school shooting. 2nd, to Republicans in FL and in Congress- what’s your plan? Keep doing nothing? We’ve got ideas. How could you NOT TRY to save lives? NOT ACCEPTABLE!” — State Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton (@TinaPolsky), after four people were killed in a shooting at a Georgia school..
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