State parks whistleblower overwhelmed by praise and more than $207,600 in donations

Leaking clandestine plans to add hardscape amenities to Florida state parks cost James Gaddis his $49,000-a-year job at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

He knew the risk, but didn't foresee the windfall of gratitude that includes more than $207,600 in donations.

Gaddis, a 41-year-old single dad who works a side job on Saturdays, had set a goal of $10,000 through a GoFundMe account he set up last weekend to bridge him and his daughter until he could find another full-time job. Donations stood at $207,610 as of 7 a.m. Thursday.

Two weeks ago, Gaddis couldn’t afford to replace the broken stereo in his car.

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/2024/09/04/florida-state-parks-whistleblower-gets-180000-in-gofundme-donations/75069225007/