Both federal and state laws protect Florida employees from being wrongfully terminated for reporting unlawful or unethical behavior at their workplaces. This article will focus on two state laws that protect Florida private sector workers and Florida public sector workers.
As for private sector employees in Florida, if a worker witnesses an act at his or her workplace that violates a regulation or law, he or she may report this action to superiors or law enforcement officials without fear of retaliation and/or losing his or her job. In other words, employees are protected from being terminated or discriminated against for either threatening to disclose or disclosing employer practices that are against the law. Furthermore, private sector employees are protected from such retaliation if they refuse to break the law and/or participate in an investigation. This is in reference to Florida Statute 448.102.
As for both private sector and government employees, they cannot be discharged or subjected to discrimination as a result of disclosing information about violations of local, state or federal law — or for disclosing information concerning gross mismanagement medical fraud, waste, abuse or a gross neglect of a duty assumed by an independent contractor or agency. This is in reference to Florida Statute 112.3187.
In addition to these Florida statutes listed above, workers who have been subjected to retaliation and/or wrongful termination — after disclosing information concerning unlawful or unethical behavior — may cite various federal laws to support their claims for damages. If you lost your job because you were a whistleblower, learn about your rights and flight back in court to protect your job and pursue financial damages.
