Florida Office of the Inspector General officially declares Rebekah Jones a whistleblower. States that those responsible for the persecution and firing to Jones will be investigated and held accountable. 'A letter from Inspector General Michael J. Bennett said Jones’ complaint demonstrates “reasonable cause to suspect that an employee or agent of an agency or independent contractor has violated any federal, state or local law, rule or regulation.”' Former health department employee Rebekah Jones granted official whistleblower status https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article251762323.html Rebekah Jones is officially a whistleblower under Florida law, the Office of the Inspector General told her attorneys Friday. Jones, who was responsible for building the COVID-19 data dashboard for the Florida Department of Health, was fired last year after raising concerns about “misleading data” being presented to the public, according to the complaint, which was reviewed by the Miami Herald. In the complaint, filed July 17, 2020, Jones alleged she was fired for “opposition and resistance to instructions to falsify data in a government website.” She described being asked to bend data analysis to fit predetermined policy and delete data from public view after questions from the press — actions she claimed “represent an immediate injury to the public health, safety, and welfare, including the possibility of death to members of the public.” On Friday, the Office of the Inspector General informed Jones that “the information disclosed does meet the criteria for whistleblower status as described by ... Florida statutes,” according to the email obtained by the Herald. A letter from Inspector General Michael J. Bennett said Jones’ complaint demonstrates “reasonable cause to suspect that an employee or agent of an agency or independent contractor has violated any federal, state or local law, rule or regulation.” Whistleblower status offers Jones certain protections under Florida law, including the potential for reinstatement or compensation should the ongoing investigation find the department retaliated against Jones for the concerns she raised last year. “It’s pretty huge,” Jones told the Herald in response to the news. “This isn’t vindication, but this is a start. It’s a big push forward.” Weesam Khoury, communications director for the Department of Health, said the finding does “not indicate wrongdoing or that an agency has engaged in the alleged acts.” Added Taryn Fenske, the DeSantis administration’s communications director: “Whistleblower status doesn’t substantiate any claims. It simply provides confidentiality, and means someone made a complaint.” Jones first went on national television last May after Gov. Ron DeSantis slammed her to the press while standing next to former Vice President Mike Pence. DeSantis ignored her concerns and instead questioned her credentials. In a pending case, she was arrested by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement this past January, charged with a third-degree felony for allegedly breaking into a state messaging system and encouraging people to “speak up.” Since then she has been at the center of heated controversy that escalated after Christina Pushaw, later to become the governor’s press secretary, wrote a piece for Human Events titled “THE ‘FLORIDA COVID-19 WHISTLEBLOWER’ SAGA IS A BIG LIE” that took aim at Jones’ claims, her Twitter persona and her past, including a history of minor arrests, none of which led to convictions. Despite the accusations, Jones has maintained that she was asked to “manipulate” and “delete” COVID-related data by her superiors at the department. Emails from within the agency reviewed by the Miami Herald and others show Jones was asked to remove data from public view after receiving questions about it from the Herald. The investigation into Jones’ allegations is ongoing.
Let's see what DeSantis is going to do about this. He does not even have the backbone to actually enforce his restrictions on "vaccine passports" on concerts occurring in his own state. Yet he believes somehow he will enforce his restrictions on the cruise industry. A Florida concert promoter is using tickets to encourage Covid-19 vaccinations by charging those without a shot $999 https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/28/us/concert-selling-discounted-tickets-vaccinated-trnd/index.html Florida punk show is $18 with proof of vaccination, $1,000 without https://nypost.com/2021/05/29/flori...scounted-tickets-to-covid-19-vaccinated-fans/
The governor who won't even apply his regulations to concerts in his state somehow thinks he is going to take on the cruise industry. Good luck with that Ron. Ron DeSantis clashes with Florida’s cruise industry over vaccine checks ‘It’s a game of chicken and the cruise lines are not going to blink for a second in this game,’ maritime lawyer Mike Winkleman says https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...esantis-florida-cruise-vaccines-b1856435.html
You underestimate Mr. DeSantis. ----What's the real reason for your schadenfreude concerning American's liberty and pursuit of happiness?
Now the DeSantis is claiming he will fine the cruise lines $5000 per passenger if they ask for proof of vaccination. What a clown. When will DeSantis understand that the state of Florida has no oversight over interstate or international transportation; this is strictly regulated by federal authorities. Florida to Fine Cruise Lines Asking for Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination https://www.travelpulse.com/news/cr...asking-for-proof-of-covid-19-vaccination.html Florida governor Ron DeSantis revealed cruise lines operating in the state that ask passengers for proof of vaccinations would be fined $5,000 per passenger. According to Travel Weekly, Governor DeSantis’ press secretary Christina Pushaw said the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) vaccine guidance for cruise lines was “coercive” and a possible violation of state law. Governor DeSantis signed an Executive Order in April that banned businesses operating in the state from asking for proof that customers received a COVID-19 vaccination. “The CDC has no legal authority to set any sort of requirements to cruise,” Pushaw told Travel Weekly. “Moreover, the CDC went on record admitting that the federal government chose not to make a legal requirement for vaccine passports.” “Now they provide coercive guidance, in the absence of any federal law or congressional authorization,” Pushaw continued. “In short, the CDC is pushing cruise ships to violate Florida law, in order to comply with CDC 'guidance' that is not legally binding.” The potential fines were announced after the CDC revealed earlier this week the agency would allow Celebrity Cruises to become the first cruise line to set sail with paying passengers on board. The ship is scheduled to depart from Fort Lauderdale on June 26. In order to skip the test sailings required by the CDC, Celebrity said it would follow the mandate that 95 percent of passengers and 95 percent of crew members need to be vaccinated against coronavirus. Officials from the Royal Caribbean Group told Travel Weekly, “we continue to work with local and state governments to facilitate a return to service by July with fully vaccinated crew and guests who are eligible for vaccinations.”
When will you understand that DeSantis is a true leader? This is what we want from our leaders. No wishy-washy un-Americanism like you promote.
What's the real reason for your schadenfreude concerning American's liberty and pursuit of happiness?
Let's see what reasonable people think of DeSantis... Rebekah Jones’ whistleblower win against DeSantis administration could be a win for all of us https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/article251781273.html The DeSantis administration has worked long and hardto discredit Rebekah Jones,fired last year from her job as a data analyst after she accused state health officials of pressuring her to manipulate certain coronavirus numbers. She has stood her ground for a year, and last week, the Florida’s Office of the Inspector General firmed up the earth beneath her feet. Friday, the IG’s office told Jones’ attorneys that she is a whistleblower, officially. This will afford her certain protections, plus the possibility of reinstatement or compensation. The former health department staffer said that she was asked to skew data analysis to better mesh with administration policy and also to screen other statistics from public view. In a world that likes a clear, bright line between the heroines and the villains, Jones, like her nemesis DeSantis, is not perfect. In January, she was arrested and charged with allegedly hacking into a state messaging system and encouraging people to “speak up.” Trumped-up charge? Who knows? She also has a cyberstalking charge in her past, but no convictions. Of course, the governor, who seemed to care not one bit about the health and well-being of most Floridians as the pandemic raged, has a soft spot for the environment. Go figure. So far, DOH emails reviewed by the Miami Herald show Jones was asked to remove data from public view after receiving questions about it from the news organization. In addition, she has gone up against an administration that has shamelessly concealed vital COVID information during the past year. Unfortunately, the possibility of DOH manipulating information is not a stretch. An investigation continues, and with the cover of whistleblower status. Jones will need to vigorously back up her allegations and the state, its defense. For now, Jones’ whistleblower victory stands to be a win over state secrecy for the rest of us.
Let's see what the cruise lines are telling DeSantis. Oh, the are telling him "come for us" wuss -- as all of them set alternative U.S. departure ports for all cruises planned out of Florida. Cruise line requiring vaccination proof dares Florida's DeSantis to enforce his vaccine passport ban Florida governor rejects authority of CDC to shut down cruise lines for not conforming to agency guidelines. https://justthenews.com/government/...accination-dares-desantis-enforce-ban-vaccine
So much "winning"... DeSantis' culture war on vaccine passports threatens to sink Florida cruise industry https://news.yahoo.com/cruise-lines-florida-gov-desantis-083000160.html Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is on a collision course with one of the state's biggest industries over a law he signed banning businesses from asking customers whether they've been vaccinated against Covid-19. Cruise ship operators, who sail out of Florida's large southern ports, say the order will make it make it harder for them to safely return to the seas, possibly imperiling a major economic driver in the state. The GOP, under the influence of former President Donald Trump, has pursued cultural fights that roil its base at the expense of traditional conservative values, like free-market capitalism, with DeSantis, who is considering a presidential bid in 2024, and others picking fights with companies that they say undermine American values. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave the go-ahead Wednesday to begin work toward restarting cruises for the first time in over a year after the massive ships became some of the first superspreader locations for the coronavirus. With populations the size of small cities packed into close quarters, cruise ships are uniquely vulnerable to viral spread. So to comply with CDC guidance and keep passengers and crew members safe, several cruise liners want to require nearly everyone onboard to be fully vaccinated. But that could now be illegal in Florida, the center of the American cruise industry, under a law DeSantis signed this month that prohibits businesses from discriminating against unvaccinated customers. "In Florida, your personal choice regarding vaccinations will be protected, and no business or government entity will be able to deny you services based on your decision," DeSantis said of the law, which codified executive orders he had already issued. The law is the last thing the cruise industry needs, said travel industry analyst Patrick Scholes, managing director of Truist Securities, as they try to reassure passengers that it's safe to return to their all-you-can-eat buffets after 15 months. "It has been a year of migraines and kicks in the teeth for the cruise industry. Now, they're finally getting ready to restart, and you have the governor of Florida basically playing a game of chicken with them," Scholes said. The dispute may end up in court, as the cruise industry argues that the state law doesn't apply to it thanks to federal rules. In the meantime, companies may decide to move ahead with plans to require vaccinations, even if it means racking up violations in Florida. "It might even be cheaper for them to just eat the fines," Scholes said. "They are burning millions of dollars a day having their ships idle." Florida, which is by far the biggest embarkation point for cruises in the U.S., is home to the headquarters and key infrastructure of several major cruise lines, including Norwegian, whose CEO said the Miami-based company might have to pull its ships out of the state because of the vaccine passport prohibitions. "We hope that this doesn't become a legal football or a political football. But at the end of the day, cruise ships have motors, propellers and rudders. And God forbid we can't operate in the state of Florida for whatever reason, then there are other states that we do operate from. And we can operate from the Caribbean for ships that otherwise would have gone to Florida," CEO Frank Del Rio said on a recent earnings call with investors and analysts. "We certainly hope it doesn't come to that. Everyone wants to operate out of Florida. It's a very lucrative market," Del Rio said. "But it is an issue. Can't ignore it. And we hope that everyone is pushing in the same direction, which is we want to resume cruising in a safe manner." Another, unnamed, cruise industry executive warned the industry newsletter Cruise Week that if the Florida law stands, "it would appear to block cruises from restarting." "Why is a pro-business governor standing in the way of one of the most important industries in the state from restarting?" the executive asked. DeSantis, who is seen as a leading presidential contender if Trump doesn't run, has been at the forefront of the GOP's turn away from a business-focused message. He recently signed a law cracking down on social media companies, a direct response from Trump allies to websites that opted to remove him from their platforms. But in another instance, he sided with the cruise industry and stripped power from local jurisdictions after residents of Key West overwhelmingly voted in a referendum to limit the size of cruise ships visiting the island, where the cruise dock is owned by a major DeSantis donor. DeSantis, who says he has been fighting for the cruise industry all along, sued the CDC over masking and social distancing guidelines that he said were too strict. Now that he is at odds with the industry over so-called vaccine passports, he says he isn't budging. "We are going to enforce Florida law," DeSantis told reporters Friday, according to the Orlando Sentinel. "I mean, we have Florida law. We have laws that protect the people and the privacy of our citizens, and we are going to enforce it." Covid-19 vaccines have become politicized. Republicans are by far the largest segment of Americans who say they will "definitely not" get inoculated, according to a poll from the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. More than a quarter of GOP voters, 27 percent, say they will refuse the shots, while 9 percent more said they would get the shots only if it's required. Other Florida politicians see things differently, and even some Republicans say it's not worth challenging the recovery of the state's crucial tourism industry after it was hammered by the pandemic. "We are ready to welcome back passengers to the Cruise Capital of the World and put tens of thousands of cruise employees back to work," said Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, a Democrat. "We're committed to working with the governor to find a way forward."