Florida DEP worker says he was fired for leaking state parks plan

THE TREASURE COAST. THE BIG CHANGES THAT COULD BE COMING TO PORT ST. LUCIE COUNTY. >> WE FELT LIKE A LAYER WHAT MOVES. >> WE'RE GIVING VOICE TO THIS MAN TONIGHT. HE SAYS HE WAS FIRED FOR LEAKING PLANS TO ADD DEVELOPMENT TO STATE PARK. THIS COMES AFTER OUR NEWS TEAM. LISTEN TO PEOPLE REACHING OUT TO OUR NEWSROOM WITH CONCERNS OVER THOSE PLANS FOR WEEKS ARE WPTV EVEN STEIN. HE SPOKE WITH THE WHISTLEBLOWER EXCLUSIVELY. HE IS CHALLENGING OFFICIALS TONIGHT AFTER A STATE EMPLOYEE SAYS HE FACED RETALIATION. >> JAMES GADDIS WOULD VISIT EVERY STATE PARK. HE COULD, EXAMPLE. YEAH, I KNOW TAKE A LONG ROAD SERVE OUR COUNTRY NOT A PARK NATIONAL LAKESHORE IN MAY JOINING THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND EASY CHOICE TO GET EXPERIENCE MAKING MAPS. HE SAYS A SUPERVISOR ORDERED HIM TO MAKE THIS ONE FOR GOLF COURSES THAT JONATHAN DICKINSON, STATE PARK AMONG OTHER CHANGES WERE PUT IN A HORRIBLE POSITION. AND A REAL PLOT THE SLAP ARE THESE 9 DIFFERENT PROPOSALS TO ADD EVERYTHING FROM LA JUST A GOLF COURSE AT STATE PARKS BUILDING ON PRESERVE LAND. WHAT WAS THE MOST PRESSURE ABOUT? YOU SEEING ALL >> SO WE WERE COLD ONE-SIDED BY BY THE BACK OF THIS CAME OUT OF NOWHERE. THE FACT THAT WE'RE BEING TOLD NOT TO TALK TO ANYBODY ABOUT THIS, INCLUDING BODIES THAT WORK IN UNITS EUROS IN THE BUILDING. I GOT TO THE POINT WHERE WE WERE OPERATING WITH A SUPERSEDING POPE ROUGHLY 2 WEEKS AFTER GETTING THE ASSIGNMENT. >> GATTIS MADE THE DIFFICULT DECISION TO LEAK THE PLANS KNOWING COST HIM HIS JOB WITHOUT NEED. >> THE PUBLIC ACTUALLY KNEW ABOUT THIS. >> WHAT PROPOSING HERE. >> LOT OF GADGETS WON'T SAY EXACTLY WHO HE GAVE THE DOCUMENTS TO. BUT THE INFORMATION SPREAD. DPD RESPONDED TO THE LEAD IN A PRESS RELEASE, MAKING ITS PLANS PUBLIC. >> A PROTEST FOLLOWED STATEWIDE. WHAT WAS IT LIKE YOUR ACTION? >> IT WAS BROUGHT UP IT. IT MADE BECOME PART WHAT MADE THAT YOU KNOW WHAT I WELL, MATT, NOW WHARTON WORK PROPOSING. >> WE'RE REALLY CREIGHTON. WE PRESSED GATTIS FOR MORE SPECIFICS. HE TOLD US HIS ORDERS CAME FROM SUPERVISORS WITHIN D E P WHO ARE DIRECTED FROM THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS. COREY FARRELL. ONCE THE PLANS WERE MADE PUBLIC, GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS CLAIMED HE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT WAS NOT APPROVED BY BY ME. I NEVER SAW SAW THAT GATTIS HAS SINCE BEEN FIRED. HIS TERMINATION LETTER CITING HIS CONDUCT WAS UNBECOMING OF A PUBLIC EMPLOYEE AND HE VIOLATED DEPARTMENT RULES AND ADMITTED TO INTENTIONALLY RELEASING UNAUTHORIZED INFORMATION. WE REACHED OUT TO DP AND THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE. THE PIECE SAYS IT DOESN'T COMMENT ON PERSONNEL ISSUES. THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE HASN'T RESPONDED YET, BUT REGARDLESS OF OUTCOME, GATTIS SAYS HE WOULD DO IT ALL AGAIN. WE'VE DEDICATED OUR LIVES >> THE POPULATION AND POOR STATE PARKS NOT SUPPORT. WILL OPERATE THEY WANT I DIDN'T DO THIS FOR WORK OR JUST WANTED TO LIVESTOCK. AND THAT BUT >> GOFUNDME FOR GATTIS HAS RAISED MORE THAN $100,000 MORE THAN HIS STATE SALARY BASED ON RECORDS. OUR NEWS