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Over 100+ years combined experience & history of landmark cases.
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Do you need to blow the whistle on illegal conditions or actions by an employer? Do you know what protections you have or what to expect? If you don’t, you may need the help of a whistleblower lawyer.
Before you blow the whistle, it can help you to understand the Florida laws that are involved. In this guide, you will learn what whistleblowing is and two main pieces of legislation that protect whistleblowers.
You’ll also learn what to expect when you blow the whistle, how you’re protected, and what to do if you face retaliation.
What We Will Be Covered In This Guide
Whistleblowing is the act of exposing information about illegal or abusive practices by public or private organizations. The people who expose these practices are known as whistleblowers, and they have protected status under the law when exposing certain types of information.
The laws regarding whistleblowing vary from state to state. Florida laws define specific types of information that may be exposed and provides protection for publicly or privately employed employees in the state.
Yes, Florida has two main statutes that protect public and private employees, respectively. The first is The Florida Whistleblower Act. However, private employees are protected by a second law: The Florida Act.
The first statute, Title X 112.3187, protects public employees, applicants, and contractors from adverse action by their agencies for disclosing information of a specified nature.
What acts are protected?
The second statute, Title XXXI 448.102, prohibits private employers from taking retaliatory personnel action against employees for the act of disclosing law-violating practices.
What acts are protected?
Both laws forbid retaliation but define what forms that retaliation may take broadly so that public and private employers cannot easily find protected means of retaliation. However, many whistleblowers may still face retaliation, and they may need to recognize it.
Every whistleblower should carefully consider the implications of whistleblowing so that they can be prepared.
Whistleblowing can have serious implications for whistleblowers. You may face retaliation, and seeking justice may be a long process.
What are some examples of whistleblower retaliation?
Employers may choose not to act directly against you if you become a whistleblower. Instead, they may attempt to make the conditions of your job worse so that you leave on their own.
They may also build a paper trail of inflated disciplinary notices so that they can make it appear as if you were fired for a different cause.
If you believe that you have faced retaliation, you may need to take advantage of the protections that exist under the Florida Whistleblower Act.
The Florida Whistleblower Act provides several ways that employees may seek justice for illegal retaliation. First, the law provides for three remedies. These are actions that employees may take to declare that their rights have been violated.
The law names some of the types of relief that a whistleblower may seek. These are the demands you may make based on the type of retaliation you faced.
How and where you file your whistleblower claim may depend on what public employer you work for and your complaint’s nature. Your complaint may need to be processed by one of the following parties:
The best way to make sure that any complaint is properly filed is to speak to a whistleblower lawyer. Lawyers who focus on this area have the expertise to know whether you have a credible case and what needs to be done to prepare the case for investigation and Department of Justice scrutiny.
Confidential Whistleblower Evaluation
Come forward to report fraud, corruption and abuses perpetrated on government programs with GF&C. We represent courageous whistleblowers, people who come forth to expose fraudulent schemes being used to cheat taxpayers. If you have a case, we know what it takes to win, and will guide you every step of the way.