Shevrin Jones calls FDLE raid on Rebekah Jones ‘dangerously irresponsible’

Sen. Shevrin Jones, a West Park Democrat, is condemning the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) raid on the home of former Department of Health data manager Rebekah Jones.

FDLE officials confirmed they acted on a search warrant at Rebekah Jones’ home after the State Emergency Response Team’s text system was hacked last month. Jones confirmed on Twitter her “hardware and tech” were seized, though she denied involvement in last month’s hack.

Jones, who is not related to the state Senator, posted video of the raid, in which FDLE officers drew their guns while entering Jones’ home. The Democratic Senator said he’s critical of the way the raid was conducted, regardless of its merits.

“This is a dangerously irresponsible display from the FDLE,” Sen. Jones argued Tuesday.

“Even if a legitimate warrant is served, there is no need to enter the home of someone with no history or suspicion of violence with guns drawn. Ms. Jones is a whistleblower fired for refusing to manipulate state COVID-19 data, and it’s shameful that Gov. [Ron] DeSantis is actively deploying taxpayer-funded law enforcement officers to scare and intimidate her into silence.”

That last claim by the Senator has been heavily disputed. The Governor’s office has denied any involvement in the FDLE operation, with a spokesperson saying DeSantis ” had no involvement, no knowledge, no nothing, of this investigation.”

And while state officials bear the burden to prove Jones’ involvement in the November hack, the FDLE used that incident to explain the operation at Jones’ residence in a Monday statement.

“As part of our investigation, FDLE agents served a search warrant this morning at the Centerville Court residence where Ms. Jones lives after determining the home was the location that the unauthorized message was sent from,” FDLE spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger said.

While Jones, the data manager, has claimed she was fired for “refusing to mislead the public” on the COVID-19 pandemic, the Governor’s office has pushed back.

DeSantis said Jones repeatedly defied superiors in placing unauthorized data on the state’s COVID-19 dashboard before her May firing. The Governor also emphasized Jones’ criminal history, labeling her an insubordinate employee during her time with DOH.

Jones has sought to frame herself as a whistleblower since her firing, appealing to Democrats and others who are skeptical of the state’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. Sen. Jones picked up the ball on that line of thinking in Tuesday’s statement, going after the Governor for his COVID-19 response and his handling of Rebekah Jones’ firing.

“Sadly, this is what we’ve come to expect from the Governor as he’s attempted to hide data throughout this deadly pandemic, choosing politics and propaganda over people at every turn. And thanks to his gross mismanagement, more than 19,000 Floridians are now dead,” Sen. Jones said.

“The people deserve a fully independent investigation into every facet of this matter — from Jones’ dismissal in the spring, to the questions surrounding state IT security. Steps must be taken to protect her data and sources, so the information is preserved and sources cannot become victims of retaliation. Anything less is a disservice to all Floridians.”

During a late Monday CNN interview, Rebekah Jones floated an as-yet-unproven theory that the FDLE’s reasoning for the raid was merely a pretext to target Jones for her DOH sources.

“On my phone is every communication I’ve ever had with someone who works at the state who has come to me in confidence and told me things that could get them fired or in trouble like this,” Jones told CNN’s Chris Cuomo.

“I just want to say to all those people right now, if he doesn’t know already, [Gov. DeSantis] will know soon enough that you’ve been talking to me, so be careful.”