State parks whistleblower says he was fired, but had to 'stop the madness'

State parks whistleblower says he was fired, but had to ‘stop the madness’

Posted by Admin September 2, 2024 Golf

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Jonathan Dickinson State Park golf course proposal was ‘too bad and too egregious’, he says

The alleged whistleblower who says he leaked details on the state’s plans to add golf courses, pickleball courts and lodges at state parks says he was fired last week from his job at the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) but doesn’t regret making the proposals public.

James Gaddis, 41, was a cartographer in the Office of Park Planning where he said he was personally tasked with drawing the plans to add amenities to nine state parks, including the golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park.

A spokeswoman for DEP said late Monday that the office does not comment on personnel matters.

The statewide public outcry to the park additions forced Gov. Ron DeSantis and the DEP to withdraw all proposed changes last week. Groups pushing the golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson — Tuskegee Dunes and Folds of Honor — also pulled the plug on the proposed project.

“I was drawing the golf course polygons and putting a point down where the hotel was going to go in Anastasia State Park and I was already disgusted but it just kept getting worse and worse,” Gaddis said in an interview with The Palm Beach Post on Monday. “I said, ‘What I am mapping out here is too bad and too egregious and I can’t take this anymore.’”

More: Nicklaus Companies says it’s not involved with proposed golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson

Gaddis, who had worked in the department for more than two years and is a single father to an 11-year-old girl, started a GoFundMe campaign to help him until he can find another job. He was emphatic that he was the only person involved in the leak and is concerned about his former co-workers facing punishments.

Environmentalists said they were caught off guard by the plans, some even believing in the beginning that the documents released were fake.

DEP employees asked to create the plans also initially thought the request was a joke, Gaddis said. According to his account, he was called into an online meeting in late July and given marching orders about what was wanted.

“And after that, that’s all we worked on for the month of August,” he said. “We’ve all been under a tremendous amount of pressure.”

The state’s Acquisition and Restoration Council (ARC), which votes on changes in state park plans, is scheduled to meet Sept. 12.

Gaddis called the project “secretive” and said they weren’t supposed to talk to co-workers about the project. When he would present a draft plan, he said it would come back with edits that he believes were relayed from the Governor’s office to the DEP.

More: High schools to Congress: Rising concern about Jonathan Dickinson State Park development

Environmentalists also had concerns that the one-hour meetings that had been scheduled simultaneously throughout the state to hear public comments were insufficient.

Public outcry was so passionate, Gaddis said he was worried for the safety of himself and colleagues who were tasked with presenting the plans at the meetings.

“I found out we were going to have all the meetings in an hour and then a hard stop at 4 p.m.,” Gaddis said. “We thought we may be having to escape for our lives.”

While Jonathan Dickinson was the only park with golf courses proposed, Anastasia State Park in St. Johns County and Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Walton County would have gotten 350-room lodges under the proposals.

The historically significant Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park, which was the first beach in Broward County open to African Americans after seven years of civil rights struggles, would have gotten up to four pickleball courts.

Other state parks that were considered for amenities that range from disc golf to new “glamping” accommodations included Camp Helen in Bay County, Grayton Beach in Walton County, Hillsborough River in Hillsborough County, Honeymoon Island in Pinellas County and Oleta River in Miami-Dade County.

DeSantis addressed the public rancor Aug. 28. He called the park plans “half-baked” and “nowhere near ready for prime time.”

“Here’s the thing, I’d rather not spend any money on this, right?” DeSantis said. “If people don’t want improvements, then don’t do it.”

Gaddis said he was fired for writing a summary of what was going on in a Word document on his work computer. He said he was told it was an unauthorized document and put on administrative leave on Aug. 30. On Saturday, Aug. 31, he got a separation package in the mail.

Gaddis is being heralded on social media for his courage.

“I just happen to be a guy in the middle of all this and the clock was ticking, and I figured someone has to step up to the plate and stop the madness,” Gaddis said.

Kimberly Miller is a journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate, weather, and the environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. Help support our local journalism; subscribe today.