Sarasota Attorney Resigns In Protest Of Rebekah Jones Home Raid​

SARASOTA, FL — Protesting Monday’s Florida Department of Law Enforcement raid on the home of Rebekah Jones, Sarasota attorney Ron Filipkowski has resigned from a state post.

Stepping down from his position as commissioner and vice chairman for the 12th Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission — which he’s served on for more than 10 years — he shared his resignation letter to Twitter on Tuesday.

The Republican attorney expressed concern about the treatment of Jones, a former Department of Health data scientist who helped build the state’s coronavirus dashboard. Filipkowski called the whistleblower “a hero.”

She was fired from the DOH in May for what Gov. Ron DeSantis described as "insubordination."

Jones has said she was fired for not manipulating data to support the state's reopening, though. She went on to create her own dashboard, Florida COVID Action.

FDLE agents seized her cell phone, computer and hard drives in Monday’s raid. According to a warrant, an unauthorized message compelling DOH employees to speak out was sent from the state’s emergency management account on Nov. 10. It was traced back to an IP address at Jones’ home, USA Today reported. She has denied sending the message.

In his resignation letter, Filipkowski wrote, “I have followed the events with Ms. Jones, seen the quality of her replacement, and reviewed the search warrant that led to her home being raided (Monday) by multiple armed officers. Based on what I have seen and read, I find these actions unconscionable. Even if the facts alleged are true, I would still call her a hero.”

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He also criticized DeSantis’ handling of the pandemic.

“I have been increasingly alarmed by the Governor’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” he wrote. “I believe the policy of this state towards COVID is reckless and irresponsible.”

Filipkowski said that despite his concerns he remained in his JNC position until now because the role wasn’t related to health policy.

“However, the recent events regarding public access to truthful data on the pandemic, and the specific treatment of Rebekah Jones, has made the issue now a legal one rather than just medical.”

This investigation of Jones takes place as coronavirus cases continue to rise in Florida. The DOH reported 9,442 new cases Wednesday, bringing the state's total number of cases to 1,083,362. It's one of only three states, along with California and Texas, with more than 1 million cases. COVID-19 deaths are on the rise as well, hitting 19,716 on Wednesday.