A Florida Department of Health scientist is alleging she was fired because she refused to manipulate the state’s coronavirus data.
In an email to USA Today, Rebekah Jones said she served as geographic information manager for the department. She said she created the state's nationally recognized COVID-19 data portal in two languages that used four dashboards and six maps. She said the portal was designed to determine the coronavirus' situation in real time.
Then, she said she was fired May 5, citing “reasons beyond my division’s control.” She told USA Today her old office no longer manages the dashboard or is involved in publication, fixing errors or answering questions “in any shape or form.”
After her dismissal, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' office told the Miami Herald, "The Florida COVID-19 Dashboard was created by the Geographic Information System (GIS) team in the Division of Disease Control and Health Protection at the Florida Department of Health. Although Rebekah Jones is no longer involved, the GIS team continues to manage and update the Dashboard providing accurate and important information that is publicly accessible."
On Tuesday, DeSantis' office told the Herald that Jones was fired for insubordination.
“Rebekah Jones exhibited a repeated course of insubordination during her time with the department, including her unilateral decisions to modify the department’s COVID-19 dashboard without input or approval from the epidemiological team or her supervisors,” DeSantis’ office said. “The blatant disrespect for the professionals who were working around the clock to provide the important information for the COVID-19 website was harmful to the team.
“Accuracy and transparency are always indispensable, especially during an unprecedented public health emergency such as COVID-19. Having someone disruptive cannot be tolerated during this public pandemic, which led the department to determine that it was best to terminate her employment.”
Jones' dashboard has attracted national attention, including from Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
In an email to CBS12, Jones said she was fired because she was ordered to censor some data but refused to "manually change data to drum up support for the plan to reopen."
Jones had worked with the department as a GIS manager since getting her doctorate in geography from Florida State University in 2018.
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