Money flows toward state park whistleblower James Gaddis

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.”

“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.”