Category Archives: Whistleblower
Are State Government Employees Protected By Whistleblower Laws in Florida?
There are more than 160,000 state government employees in Florida. State policy encourages good government and there are specialized rules and regulations that apply to state employees. This raises an important question: Are state workers protected by whistleblower laws in Florida? The short answer is “yes”—the Florida Public Whistleblower Act protects state and municipal… Read More »
Law Enforcement Official in Florida Terminated After Seeing Whistleblower Status
According to a report from the Tampa Bay Times, Patricia Carpenter—the former deputy chief of staff for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE)—was terminated after she sought formal whistleblower protection in relation to an alleged conflict with the Governor’s office. In this article, you will find a more detailed overview of the case… Read More »
City Of Delray Beach Cited For Unlawful Retaliation Against Whistleblower Employee
On April 20th, 2023, the Department of Labor (DOL) officially announced its findings in a federal whistleblower protection case arising out of South Florida. The City of Delray Beach will pay a former employee—a city inspector who found and reported issues with the public water supply—more than $818,500. The employee was terminated in violation… Read More »
What Does it Mean to Be a Whistleblower Under the Florida Private Whistleblower Act?
What does it mean to be a whistleblower in Florida against your private-employer? And more specifically, how is a whistleblower defined under the Florida Private Sector Whistle-Blower’s Act (Florida Statutes Section 448.102)? Florida has two separate statutes designed to protect whistleblowers—one designed to protect public employees, and a second designed to protect employees in… Read More »
What Does it Mean to Be a Whistleblower against a Public Employer in Florida?
You might have heard about certain protections for whistleblowers in Florida, but how exactly does the law define a whistleblower in the public employment arena? And in practice, what does it mean to be a whistleblower at your public employer workplace? In order to help you understand what it means to be a whistleblower… Read More »
Florida Court Holds Employee Who Testifies at Deposition is Covered for Whistleblower Protections Under Fla. Stat. 448.102 Addresses
In a recent ruling in the case of Bishop v. Olen Residential Property Corp pending before the Circuit Court of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit of Palm Beach County, Judge Meenu Sasser held an employee who testifies at a deposition is covered under the second prong of the Florida Whistleblower Act (Fla. Stat. 448.102(2). Recognizing… Read More »
Whistle All the Way: Protecting Whistleblowers at Work
In recent years, the news has been full of whistleblowers exposing illegal activities of their companies. We may all have heard about whistleblowers, but how well do you understand and know what a whistleblower really is under the law? And what are those whistleblower protections? Generally speaking, and under federal law, it is important… Read More »
11th Circuit Update: Whistleblower, Fair Labor Standards Act, ERISA
Wiersum v. U.S. Bank, No. 14-12289 (11th Cir. May 5, 2015) Brief summary: Florida Whistleblower Act Claim Preempted by National Bank Act In Wiersum v. U.S. Bank, Marc Wiersum, former bank employee/Vice President, appealed the district court’s dismissal with prejudice of his Florida Whistleblower Act (FWA) claim, which it determined was preempted by the… Read More »
11th Circuit Update: Discrimination, Whistleblower
Claude R. Short v. Mando American Corporation, _____F.3d _____ (11th Cir. February 27, 2015). Brief Summary: This is an employment discrimination case brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), 42 U.S.C. § 2000 et seq., 42 U.S.C. § 1981 (§ 1981), and state tort law. The case involved… Read More »