"Florida Data Scientist Rebekah Jones Granted Whistleblower Status"

"Jones accused state health officials of pressuring her to manipulate COVID-19 numbers. State officials said she was fired for communicating with the media."

"TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A former Florida Department of Health employee has received whistleblower status a year after being fired for repeatedly violating the agency’s policy about communicating with the media.

The employee, Rebekah Jones, had raised questions about Florida’s COVID-19 data after being ousted as the data’s curator. State officials said she was fired for insubordination after being reprimanded several times, according to state records.

The Miami Herald reported that the Office of the Inspector General told her attorneys on Friday that “the information disclosed does meet the criteria for whistleblower status as described by ... Florida statutes.”"

The Associated Press had the story May 30, 2021.

Source: AP, 06/01/2021