The plaintiff resorted to disclosing the water quality problems to the press and a non-profit environmental group, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, due to the City’s alleged willful ignorance; these disclosures eventually led to the Florida Department of Health’s investigation into the City which resulted in a more than $1 million fine for at least nine regulatory violations.
The complaint alleges that shortly after the conclusion of the Florida DOH investigation, the City retaliated against and ultimately fired the plaintiff, violating her constitutional rights to free speech and Florida’s Public Whistleblower’s Act.
