Dr. Debbie Birx attends Trump-DeSantis coronavirus response meeting at the White House in Washington
REUTERS/Carlos Barria

A top data analyst from Florida claimed she was fired from her position on May 5 after refusing to manipulate COVID-19 data to support the state's plans to reopen the economy.

Dr. Rebekah Jones was the architect and manager of the online dashboard that allows Floridians and researchers to track the coronavirus situation in real-time. In an email to a media network, she claims she created two applications in two languages, four dashboards, and six unique maps covering half a million lines of data without help from other staff.

In the letter, Jones said she worked sixteen hours each day for two months. She claims most of the time she worked was never paid for. She confirmed she was fired for refusing to censor some data to support the state's plans to restart its economy. The state's Department of Health fired her from her position as manager of the Geographic Information Systems.

She warned researchers and the citizens that her removal would likely bring changes to the dashboard data's accessibility and transparency.

Jones' dismissal has upset many researchers in Florida who say their work relies on accurate and impartial information. Lucky Tran, a biologist at Columbia University, said censoring scientists and changing the numbers would cause the residents to suffer.

Democrats believe the removal was politically driven, with many denouncing Florida's government for trying to alter data to make reopening appear safer. Terrie Rizzo, the chair of the state's Democratic party, called the move "dangerous and criminal." She called for an independent investigation into the allegations. She argued city and state officials to monitor the situation to protect the general population.

Jeremy Konyndyk, a senior policy fellow who led the Obama administration's fight against the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, said Jones' dismissal raises questions about Florida's recent downward trend in COVID-19 cases.

On Wednesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis defended the decision to fire the data scientist. He claimed Jones sent her supervisor an email where she allegedly said: "she was tired and needed a break."

The governor also claimed Jones had active criminal charges for cyber-stalking and cyber sexual harassment. A police report from Tallahassee Police shows a man who claimed to be a victim of revenge porn insinuated by the scientist in 2019. The complainant said the data analyst posted naked photos of him on a website and shared it with his employers and family members.

DeSantis also dismissed Jones' claims that she was the chief architect of the Web portal. He claims her tasks were focused on putting data on to the dashboard, some of which scientists believe were invalid.

"The dashboard data is transparent," DeSantis said. "Any insinuation otherwise is just typical partisan narrative trying to be spun."

DeSantis' communications director, Helen Aguirre Ferre, also released a statement later that day where she claimed Jones was fired due to insubordination. She said the top data scientist repeatedly modified the department's dashboard data without receiving approval from her supervisors. Want to read more? Check these out: