{{Short description|American data scientist and activist}} {{pp-blp|small=yes}} {{use American English|date=December 2022}} {{use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}{{Infobox scientist | name = Rebekah Jones | image = Rebekah Jones.jpg | caption = Jones in 2022 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1989|7|25}}<ref name="FT Mississippi" /><ref>{{Cite tweet|number=1683831643147042817|user=GeoRebekah|title=It's my birthday!! What better gift than to help Academy Award nominated director @joshfoxfilm tell my story? Watch the trailer, check out the rewards, donate and SHARE!!!|author=Rebekah Jones}}</ref> | birth_place = Windber, Pennsylvania, U.S.<ref name="ballotpedia birthplace">{{cite web |title=Rebekah Jones |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Rebekah_Jones |website=Ballotpedia |access-date=31 January 2023 |language=en}}</ref> | education = Syracuse University (BS)<br />Louisiana State University (MS)<br />Florida State University | fields = Geography | workplaces = Louisiana State University<br />Florida State University | thesis_title = Using Native American Sitescapes to Extend the North American Paleotempestological Record through Coupled Remote Sensing and Climatological Analysis | academic_advisors = Jane Read, Lynne Carter, Robert Rohli, and Matthew Bethel | website = {{Official URL}} | party = Democratic }}
'''Rebekah Jones''' (born July 25, 1989) is an American geographer, data scientist,{{efn|Sources overwhelmingly refer to Jones as a data scientist.<ref name="FT Mississippi" /><ref name="Iati" /><ref name="Mansoor" /> Spatial analysis using Geographic Information Systems is a subset of data science.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://gisgeography.com/spatial-data-science/ |title=What is Spatial Data Science? |website=GISGeography}}</ref> }} and activist. She is known for her COVID-19 activism in Florida, allegations against the Florida Department of Health and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, an unsubstantiated whistleblower complaint after being fired, and several legal issues. She was referred to as a whistleblower and awarded with several honors, but many public officials and media outlets labeled her a conspiracy theorist after investigation into her and her allegations.
In May 2022, Florida's Office of Inspector General (OIG) dismissed a 2020 whistleblower complaint filed by Jones after she was fired by the state for insubordination. In May 2020, Jones was terminated from her position managing the team that created Florida's ArcGIS COVID-19 dashboard after being repeatedly reprimanded for sharing the department's work online without authorization. Jones alleged instead that she was told to manipulate the dashboard's data and that her firing was retaliation for her refusal. The OIG exonerated state health officials, finding her allegations to be unsubstantiated and unfounded. Jones later posted on social media a forgery of the dismissal letter from the Florida Commission on Human Relations, such that it appeared that her complaint had been validated.
In December 2022, she signed a deferred prosecution agreement admitting guilt to unauthorized use of the state's emergency alert system on November 10, 2020, which resulted in her home being searched under warrant by state police in December 2020. The execution of the warrant with armed police, widely referred to as a raid, was due to a 2016 battery charge against Jones by the Louisiana State University police. In 2023, Jones pled no-contest to a 2019 charge of cyberstalking a former Florida State University student. She was fired from both institutions.
Jones has a popular Twitter (X) account where she is a controversial figure and activist. Her viral tweets have resulted in multiple highly successful GoFundMe campaigns, earning more than $500,000, which has been criticized. Jones has used her Twitter account to make unsupported statements on a variety of topics, including COVID-19 and DeSantis, one of which ''NBC News'' called a conspiracy theory. She also instigated fights with academics, journalists, and public officials. She was suspended from Twitter in 2021 for platform manipulation and later reinstated. After a successful social media campaign for Democratic candidacy in Florida's 1st congressional district, she was defeated by Matt Gaetz in the 2022 U.S. House of Representatives elections in Florida.
==Early life and education==
Jones was born in Windber, Pennsylvania, to blue-collar parents.<ref name="ballotpedia birthplace" /> At the age of nine, her family moved to Wiggins, Mississippi, where she spent most of her childhood. She grew up poor, often housing and food insecure.<ref name="Cosmopolitan">{{cite news |last1=Bloch |first1=Emily |title=Rebekah Jones Tried to Protect Florida From COVID-19—and Then Its Governor Came After Her |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a35714647/rebekah-jones-florida-covid-19-data-whistleblower-arrest/ |access-date=31 January 2023 |work=Cosmopolitan |date=11 March 2021 |language=en-us}}</ref><ref name="FT Mississippi">{{cite news |last1=Fedor |first1=Lauren |title=Rebekah Jones: a data scientist takes on the Florida governor |url=https://www.ft.com/content/85e71ad3-8c08-4b77-999f-f124af42940b |access-date=31 January 2023 |work=Financial Times |date=11 December 2020}}</ref><ref name=":16">{{cite news |last1=Turner |first1=Jane |title=Rebekah Jones: Woman of Steel and COVID Whistleblower |url=https://whistleblowersblog.org/whistleblower-of-the-week/rebekah-jones/ |access-date=31 January 2023 |work=Whistleblower Network News |date=1 February 2021}}</ref><ref name="WUFT News">{{cite news |last1=Loomar |first1=Ava |title=Rebekah Jones And The Consequences Of Whistleblowing |url=https://www.wuft.org/news/2021/05/13/rebekah-jones-and-the-consequences-of-whistleblowing/ |access-date=31 January 2023 |work=WUFT News |date=May 13, 2021}}</ref> Jones attended Stone High School,<ref>{{cite news |title=Stone High Grad Seeks Fla. Congressional Seat, Could Stand Trial in January 23' |url=https://www.stonecountyenterprise.com/news/crime/stone-high-grad-seeks-fla-congressional-seat-could-stand-trial-in-january-23/article_3271f2a0-337e-11ed-b176-0b54ecaca7ae.html |access-date=31 January 2023 |work=Stone County Enterprise |date=September 18, 2022 |language=en}}</ref> where she missed months of school{{efn|Jones told reporters that the school was destroyed during hurricane Katrina.<ref name="syracuse" /><ref name="WUFT News"/> Katrina made landfall as a category 3 tropical storm near Triumph, Louisiana on August 29, 2005. Storm surge affected Biloxi-Gulfport, Mississippi, 40 miles south of Wiggins.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hurricane Katrina Timeline |url=https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/timelines/hurricanekatrina.html |website=www.thepeoplehistory.com |access-date=31 January 2023}}</ref> Stone High School served as the location of the American Red Cross relief headquarters for the area and a standby shelter.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nieves |first1=Evelyn |title=The Region Starts to Stagger Back |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2005/09/14/the-region-starts-to-stagger-back/c04411dd-076c-45dd-8cfa-a97e02e5a0c9/ |newspaper=Washington Post |date=14 September 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Sept. 6, 2005: More Katrina damage, recovery {{!}} Gallery |url=https://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/picture-gallery/news/local/2015/08/26/sept-6-2005-more-katrina-damage-recovery--gallery/32000003/ |access-date=31 January 2023 |work=Hattiesburg American |date=September 6, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Disaster Center's Tropical Storm - Hurricane Katrina Page |url=https://www.disastercenter.com/Katrina%20Mississippi.html |website=The Disaster Center |access-date=31 January 2023}}</ref>}} during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.<ref name="syracuse">{{cite news |last1=Cox |first1=Jay |title=Alumna Tracks the COVID-19 Outbreak |url=https://www.syracuse.edu/stories/rebekah-jones-covid-19-dashboard/ |access-date=31 January 2023 |date=March 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327231604/https://www.syracuse.edu/stories/rebekah-jones-covid-19-dashboard/ |archive-date=March 27, 2022}}</ref><ref name="WUFT News" /> She says her experiences in Katrina made her interested in natural disasters.<ref name="FT Mississippi" /> In her junior year, Jones was removed from class for refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and led other students to do the same after learning from civil liberties groups she was acting within her rights.<ref name="Cosmopolitan" /> She graduated from Chestnut Ridge Senior High School<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chestnut Ridge HS (CRHS) Class of 2007 Alumni List |url=http://chestnutridgehighschool.com/class-of-2007.html |website=Chestnut Ridge High School}}</ref> in 2007 after moving to Bedford, Pennsylvania to live with her grandparents.<ref name=":16" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-13 |title=Michael K. Clapper |url=https://www.bedfordgazette.com/obituaries/michael-k-clapper/article_edbc521a-8134-593b-b277-d3e268ca010b.html |access-date=2024-05-26 |website=Bedford Gazette |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=PENNSYLVANIA FBLA 2007 SLC WINNERS |url=https://www.pafbla.org/downloads/SLC_Award_Winners/07_SLC_Award_Winners.pdf |website=PENNSYLVANIA FBLA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Rebekah |date=2024-05-25 |title=Cuomo: The Media is Not Your Friend |url=https://rebekahjones.substack.com/p/cuomo-the-media-is-not-your-friend |access-date=2024-05-26 |website=Mesoscale.News with Rebekah Jones}}</ref>
Jones graduated ''cum laude'' from the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University with dual degrees in geography and journalism in 2012. While at Syracuse, Jones was a features writer and the student business manager for ''The Daily Orange'' and worked as a special projects intern at the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems.<ref name="Alumna Tracks" />
In 2014, she received a master's degree in geography and a minor in mass communication from Louisiana State University.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Turner |first=Jane |date=2021-02-01 |title=Rebekah Jones: Woman of Steel and COVID Whistleblower |url=https://whistleblowersblog.org/whistleblower-of-the-week/rebekah-jones/ |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=Whistleblower Network News |language=en-US |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518184207/https://whistleblowersblog.org/whistleblower-of-the-week/rebekah-jones/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2015, her research titled ''Quantifying Extreme Weather Event Impacts on the Northern Gulf Coast Using Landsat Imagery'' was published in the ''Journal of Coastal Research''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jones |first=Rebekah |date=2014-07-09 |title=Quantifying Extreme Weather Event Impacts on the Northern Gulf Coast Using Landsat Imagery |url=https://doi.org/10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-14-00065.1 |journal=Journal of Coastal Research |volume=31 |issue=5 |pages=1229–1240 |doi=10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-14-00065.1 |issn=0749-0208 |s2cid=128642612 |access-date=May 28, 2021 |archive-date=January 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112012845/https://bioone.org/journals/journal-of-coastal-research/volume-31/issue-5/JCOASTRES-D-14-00065.1/Quantifying-Extreme-Weather-Event-Impacts-on-the-Northern-Gulf-Coast/10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-14-00065.1.short |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Remote sensing of ocean and coastal environments |date=2021 |publisher=Elsevier |isbn=978-0-12-819604-5 |editor-last=Rani |editor-first=Meenu |series=Earth observation series |location=Amsterdam, Netherlands Oxford, GB Cambridge, MA |editor-last2=Seenipandi |editor-first2=Kaliraj |editor-last3=Rehman |editor-first3=Sufia |editor-last4=Kumar |editor-first4=Pavan |editor-last5=Sajjad |editor-first5=Haroon}}</ref> While at LSU, she worked as a coastal resources scientist for the state of Louisiana and as a geospatial specialist for the Louisiana Sea Grant.<ref name="Alumna Tracks" />
Jones was a graduate student in the Department of Geography at Florida State University from 2016 through 2018,<ref name="Accusations Fly"/> where she worked on a doctoral dissertation<ref name="Dedicated scientist" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://fsu.academia.edu/RebekahJones|title=Rebekah Jones Academic Record|website=Academia.edu|access-date=19 June 2020|last=Jones|first=Rebekah D.|archive-date=June 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200620084228/https://fsu.academia.edu/RebekahJones|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Accusations Fly" /> until she was dismissed from the PhD program in 2019 due to misconduct in her teaching position.<ref name=":7">{{Cite news |last=Mathis-Lilley |first=Ben |date=2022-04-21 |title=How One Florida Woman With Twitter Problems Plunged Us Into a Nightmarish National Conversation About "Grooming" |language=en-US |work=Slate |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/04/christina-pushaw-ron-desantis-libsoftiktok-groomer.html |access-date=2023-12-03 |issn=1091-2339}}</ref><ref name="WUFT-20202" />
==Florida Department of Health==
In September 2018, she became a geographic information system (GIS) analyst at Florida Department of Health (DOH) in Tallahassee and worked on the agency's emergency response team during Hurricane Michael and Hurricane Dorian. Jones performed analysis and modeling of mapping and surveillance data to provide information to the public and state officials used to coordinate disaster response, like the organization of patient movement to open beds between interstate hospitals.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Taylor |first=Langston |date=May 19, 2020 |title=Florida Health Department manager told to delete coronavirus data is ousted |url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2020/05/19/florida-health-department-officials-told-manager-to-delete-coronavirus-data-before-reassigning-her-emails-show/ |access-date=2023-01-14 |website=Tampa Bay Times |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":24">{{cite web |last=Cox |first=Jay |date=31 March 2020 |title=Alumna Tracks the COVID-19 Outbreak |url=https://www.syracuse.edu/stories/rebekah-jones-covid-19-dashboard/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327231604/https://www.syracuse.edu/stories/rebekah-jones-covid-19-dashboard/ |archive-date=2022-03-27 |access-date=23 June 2020 |website=Syracuse.edu |publisher=Syracuse University}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bloch |first=Emily |date=2021-03-11 |title=Rebekah Jones Tried to Protect Florida From COVID-19—and Then Its Governor Came After Her |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a35714647/rebekah-jones-florida-covid-19-data-whistleblower-arrest/ |access-date=2023-01-14 |website=Cosmopolitan |language=en-us}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last1=Geraghty |first1=Este |last2=Lanclos |first2=Ryan |date=2020-04-20 |title=COVID-19: Dedicated Scientist in Florida Made Quick Moves to Map the Disease |url=https://www.esri.com/about/newsroom/blog/scientist-maps-florida-covid19-cases/ |access-date=2023-01-14 |website=Esri |language=en |archive-date=November 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221109215425/https://www.esri.com/about/newsroom/blog/scientist-maps-florida-covid19-cases/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In November 2019, she was appointed to a manager role within GIS handling analysis and tracking of environmental health data and health services.<ref name=":24"/><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" />
=== COVID-19 dashboard team === In March 2020, Jones used Esri's ArcGIS software to create Florida Department of Health's COVID-19 dashboard.<ref name=":24" /><ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Persaud |first=Chris |title=Fired scientist Rebekah Jones builds coronavirus dashboard to rival Florida's |url=https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/2020/06/12/fired-scientist-rebekah-jones-builds-coronavirus-dashboard-to-rival-floridas/41745337/ |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=The Florida Times-Union |language=en-US}}</ref> She managed the dashboard team for two months.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Persaud |first=Chris |title=Ousted Florida scientist Rebekah Jones' whistleblower complaint takes aim at DeSantis |url=https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/2020/07/17/ousted-florida-scientist-rebekah-jonesrsquo-whistleblower-complaint-takes-aim-at-desantis/41716827/ |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=The Palm Beach Post |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Mazzei |first1=Patricia |title=A State Scientist Questioned Florida's Virus Data. Now Her Home's Been Raided. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/11/us/florida-coronavirus-data-rebekah-jones.html |access-date=18 January 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=11 December 2020}}</ref> The following month, Carina Blackmore, an epidemiologist and the director for the division, assembled a small team including Jones "to develop new data for a reopening plan."<ref name="Miami Herald" /><ref name="Bloch">{{Cite web |last=Bloch |first=Emily |date=2021-03-11 |title=Rebekah Jones Tried to Protect Florida From COVID-19—and Then Its Governor Came After Her |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a35714647/rebekah-jones-florida-covid-19-data-whistleblower-arrest/ |access-date=2023-01-14 |website=Cosmopolitan}}</ref> When the criteria supplied by the White House showed that highly populated counties were ready to open, but not rural counties, Blackmore suggested lower populations might be held to a different standard to account for natural social distancing.<ref name="Miami Herald" /> Jones opposed the use of federal guidelines to make low-population areas more resilient to small, containable spikes in cases and disagreed with the epidemiologists on her team about methodology by which the state evaluated readiness to reopen.<ref name="AP">{{Cite news |last1=Farrington |first1=Brendan |last2=Calvan |first2=Bobby Caina |date=May 23, 2020 |title=Public remarks prompted Florida virus data curator's firing |url=https://apnews.com/eaf591c566f99175234d0d3d031777bf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706173500/https://apnews.com/eaf591c566f99175234d0d3d031777bf |archive-date=July 6, 2022 |access-date=2020-12-08 |work=Associated Press}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bloch |first=Emily |date=2021-03-11 |title=Rebekah Jones Tried to Protect Florida From COVID-19—and Then Its Governor Came After Her |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a35714647/rebekah-jones-florida-covid-19-data-whistleblower-arrest/ |access-date=2023-01-14 |website=Cosmopolitan).}}</ref> She opposed the way the state computed test positivity rates and believes that positive results for antibody testing{{Efn|Antibody tests check for past infections while diagnostic tests check for current infections.<ref name="Waldrop">{{Cite web |last1=Waldrop |first1=Theresa |last2=Flores |first2=Rosa |last3=Sutton |first3=Joe |date=2020-05-20 |title=Florida and Georgia facing scrutiny for their Covid-19 data reporting |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/20/us/florida-georgia-covid-19-test-data/index.html |access-date=2023-01-18 |website=CNN}}</ref>|name=antibody}} should be included in cumulative case totals, which outside epidemiologists don't recommend, as they can skew results.<ref name="AP" /><ref name="Time">{{Cite magazine |last=Mansoor |first=Sanya |date=June 15, 2020 |title=Fired Florida Data Scientist Creates Competing COVID-19 Tracking Site and Suggests State Is Hiding Important Information |url=https://time.com/5853398/florida-fired-scientist-coronavirus-data-rebekah-jones/ |access-date=2023-01-18 |magazine=Time}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Mazzei |first=Patricia |date=2020-12-11 |title=A State Scientist Questioned Florida's Virus Data. Now Her Home's Been Raided. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/11/us/florida-coronavirus-data-rebekah-jones.html |access-date=2023-01-18 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="Waldrop">{{Cite web |last1=Waldrop |first1=Theresa |last2=Flores |first2=Rosa |last3=Sutton |first3=Joe |date=2020-05-20 |title=Florida and Georgia facing scrutiny for their Covid-19 data reporting |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/20/us/florida-georgia-covid-19-test-data/index.html |access-date=2023-01-18 |website=CNN}}</ref>
===Removal from COVID-19 team and firing=== In May 2020, Florida news outlets reported a data field was removed from the dashboard data for less than 24 hours after a ''Miami Herald'' reporter made an inquiry to DOH about evidence they said could indicate an earlier community spread. The inquiry was handled by Jones's team.<ref name="Miami Herald">{{cite news |last1=Blaskey |first1=Sarah |date=June 4, 2020 |title=What Rebekah Jones saw behind the scenes at the Florida Department of Health |work=Miami Herald |publisher= |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article251838913.html |access-date=16 January 2023}}</ref><ref name="Sassoon">{{Cite web |last=Sassoon |first=Alessandro Marazzi |date=May 23, 2020 |title=Fired scientist defends her COVID-19 data role, portrays Florida Dept. of Health as corrupt |url=https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2020/05/23/rebekah-jones-fired-florida-health-department-scientist-covid-19-data-interference/5249295002/ |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=Florida Today |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="AP" /> Shamarial Roberson, Deputy Secretary of Health, said the field was a self-reported date indicating when patients believed their symptoms began or may have come into contact with the virus.<ref name="Miami Herald" /><ref name="Iati">{{Cite news |last=Iati |first=Marisa |date=June 16, 2020 |title=Florida fired its coronavirus data scientist. Jones is publishing the statistics on her own. |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/06/12/rebekah-jones-florida-coronavirus/ |url-status=live |access-date=2020-12-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117160123/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/06/12/rebekah-jones-florida-coronavirus/ |archive-date=January 17, 2021}}</ref> Division director Blackmore said she then instructed Jones to disable exporting data files to ensure the data matched what was in their PDF counterpart, which they were unaware Jones had published.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sassoon |first=Alessandro Marazzi |date=May 23, 2020 |title=Fired scientist defends her COVID-19 data role, portrays Florida Dept. of Health as corrupt |url=https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2020/05/23/rebekah-jones-fired-florida-health-department-scientist-covid-19-data-interference/5249295002/ |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=Florida Today}}</ref><ref name=":25">{{Cite web |last=Klas |first=Mary Ellen |date=May 28, 2022 |title=Report rejects Rebekah Jones' claim that Florida doctored COVID data |url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2022/05/28/report-rejects-rebekah-jones-claim-that-florida-doctored-covid-data/ |access-date=2023-01-18 |website=Tampa Bay Times}}</ref> Jones objected, claiming it was unethical.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Armus |first1=Teo |title=Florida police were after a covid-19 data scientist. She turned herself in — and tested positive. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/01/19/rebekah-jones-florida-covid-jail/ |access-date=31 January 2023 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=January 19, 2021}}</ref> In emails she said, "This is the wrong call," and "I'm not pulling our primary resource for coronavirus data because he (Pritchard){{efn|Scott Pritchard is the former Interim Director of Infectious Disease Prevention and Investigations Section in the Bureau of Epidemiology's Division of Disease Control and Health Protection at the Department of Health. He left the DOH, and subsequently the state of Florida, after Governor Ron DeSantis announced his school reopening plan.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Coronavirus ravaged Florida, as Ron DeSantis sidelined scientists and followed Trump |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/coronavirus-ravaged-florida-as-ron-desantis-sidelined-scientists-and-followed-trump/2020/07/25/0b8008da-c648-11ea-b037-f9711f89ee46_story.html |access-date=2023-01-16 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref name="Sassoon">{{Cite web |last=Sassoon |first=Alessandro Marazzi |date=May 23, 2020 |title=Fired scientist defends her COVID-19 data role, portrays Florida Dept. of Health as corrupt |url=https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2020/05/23/rebekah-jones-fired-florida-health-department-scientist-covid-19-data-interference/5249295002/ |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=Florida Today |language=en-US}}</ref>}} wants to stick it to journalists."<ref name="Miami Herald" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sassoon |first=Alessandro Marazzi |date=May 23, 2020 |title=Fired scientist defends her COVID-19 data role, portrays Florida Dept. of Health as corrupt |url=https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2020/05/23/rebekah-jones-fired-florida-health-department-scientist-covid-19-data-interference/5249295002/ |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=Florida Today |language=en-US"}}</ref> Blackmore said the temporary removal was due to concerns about privacy and potential misunderstanding and misuse of the field.<ref name="Miami Herald" /> The following day, Jones was removed from the COVID-19 dashboard team. She threatened to quit and went on leave.<ref name="Miami Herald" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Persaud |first=Chris |title=Ousted Florida scientist Rebekah Jones' whistleblower complaint takes aim at DeSantis |url=https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/2020/07/17/ousted-florida-scientist-rebekah-jonesrsquo-whistleblower-complaint-takes-aim-at-desantis/41717003/ |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=The Florida Times-Union |language=en-US}}</ref> She sent an email to a public listserv suggesting her removal from the dashboard team should cast doubt on the data's integrity, inferring it was punishment for her commitment to accessibility and transparency.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Arnold |first=Amanda |date=2020-12-08 |title=Florida Continues to Target a Top COVID-19 Data Scientist |url=https://www.thecut.com/2020/12/data-scientist-rebekah-joness-home-raided-by-florida-police.html |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=The Cut}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sassoon |first=Alessandro Marazzi |title=Coronavirus: As Florida re-opens, COVID-19 data chief gets sidelined and researchers cry foul |url=https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2020/05/18/censorship-covid-19-data-researcher-removed-florida-moves-re-open-state/5212398002/ |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=Florida Today}}</ref><ref name="Miami Herald" />
On May 18, Jones was fired for insubordination, after refusing an offer to resign.<ref name="AP" /><ref name="Mansoor">{{Cite magazine |last=Mansoor |first=Sanya |date=June 15, 2020 |title=Fired Florida Data Scientist Creates Competing COVID-19 Tracking Site and Suggests State Is Hiding Important Information |url=https://time.com/5853398/florida-fired-scientist-coronavirus-data-rebekah-jones/ |url-status=live |magazine=Time |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621074628/https://time.com/5853398/florida-fired-scientist-coronavirus-data-rebekah-jones/ |archive-date=June 21, 2020 |access-date=2020-12-08}}</ref> The ''Associated Press'' reported that state records detailed repeated warnings by her supervisor not to publicly discuss her work without permission, including releasing unauthorized charts.<ref name="AP" /> The spokesperson for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Jones was dismissed for making unilateral decisions about the dashboard without consulting others on the team, to which her superiors testified.<ref name="Mansoor" /><ref name=":25" /> Jones alleged she was fired because she refused to manipulate data to indicate reopening readiness in rural counties to align with the governor' reopening plan.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sassoon |first1=Alessandro Marazzi |title=Florida scientist was fired for 'refusing to manipulate' COVID-19 data, she said |url=https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2020/05/19/florida-scientist-refused-manipulate-covid-19-data-and-fired/5219137002 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110142336/https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2020/05/19/florida-scientist-refused-manipulate-covid-19-data-and-fired/5219137002/ |archive-date=November 10, 2022 |access-date=19 May 2020 |website=Florida Today}}</ref><ref name="Mansoor" />
=== Whistleblower complaint === Jones filed a formal complaint in July 2020 for wrongful termination and misconduct of DOH officials.<ref name="nbcnews.com">{{cite web |last1=Caputo |first1=Marc |date=May 26, 2022 |title=Florida IG report: 'Insufficient evidence' for DeSantis critic's claims of Covid cover-up |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/florida-ig-report-insufficient-evidence-desantis-critics-claims-covid-rcna30647 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526200556/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/florida-ig-report-insufficient-evidence-desantis-critics-claims-covid-rcna30647 |archive-date=May 26, 2022 |access-date=May 26, 2022 |website=NBC News}}</ref> She was granted formal whistleblower protections by the Florida Office of Inspector General in May 2021 while investigation into her claims was ongoing.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-05-30|title=Fired Florida employee receives whistleblower status|url=https://apnews.com/article/florida-coronavirus-pandemic-health-04d20114301ebcd1d7494a9a061eb3e7|access-date=2021-06-16|website=The Associated Press|archive-date=June 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618131046/https://apnews.com/article/florida-coronavirus-pandemic-health-04d20114301ebcd1d7494a9a061eb3e7|url-status=live}}</ref>
Jones alleged that deputy health secretary Roberson ordered Jones to manually change the data to support reopening. While the subsequent May 4 reopening resulted in a surge in cases,<ref name="Waldrop" /><ref name="Miami Herald" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Paz |first=Isabella Grullón |date=2021-06-05 |title=Florida will no longer publish daily coronavirus reports. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/04/world/florida-covid-19-cases-vaccine.html |access-date=2023-01-18 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="nbcnews.com" /> DeSantis used an external task force, not the DOH, to make recommendations on reopening. The governor said, "It's not up to the health department to say a 'yes' or a 'no'."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nazaryan |first1=Alexander |title=Ron DeSantis sidelined his health department. Florida paid the price. |url=https://news.yahoo.com/ron-de-santis-sidelined-his-health-department-florida-paid-the-price-090031468.html |access-date=21 January 2023 |work=Yahoo! News}}</ref><ref name="Miami Herald" /> Jones alleged on Twitter that she was ordered to delete positive test results and deaths, and that the state was hiding such data to make the pandemic seem less deadly, which ''NBC News'' called a conspiracy theory.<ref name="nbcnews.com"/><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last1=Bustos |first1=Sergio |last2=Kennedy |first2=John |title=State investigators dismiss Rebekah Jones's claims of Florida fudging COVID-19 data |url=https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2022/05/27/rebekkah-jones-report-fails-support-claims-florida-covid-19-data-doctored/9953780002/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530120649/https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2022/05/27/rebekkah-jones-report-fails-support-claims-florida-covid-19-data-doctored/9953780002/ |archive-date=May 30, 2022 |access-date=2022-05-29 |website=Tallahassee Democrat}}</ref><ref name="Bloch"/><ref name="Fedor">{{Cite news |last=Fedor |first=Lauren |date=2020-12-11 |title=Rebekah Jones: a data scientist takes on the Florida governor |url=https://www.ft.com/content/85e71ad3-8c08-4b77-999f-f124af42940b |access-date=2023-01-14 |work=Financial Times}}</ref> Discrepancies in death counts from Jones's understanding of the data came from nonresident deaths, which were forwarded to the deceased's home.<ref name="Time" /><ref name="Iati" /> DeSantis was criticized for reopening against the advice of epidemiologists.<ref name="nbcnews.com" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Higgins-Dunn |first=Noah |date=June 29, 2020 |title=More states reverse or slow reopening plans as coronavirus cases climb |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/29/more-states-reverse-or-slow-reopening-plans-as-coronavirus-cases-climb.html |access-date=2023-01-18 |website=CNBC}}</ref>
In May 2022, the Florida Office of Inspector General published their findings that her claims were unsubstantiated and lacked sufficient evidence, and exonerated officials she accused of wrongdoing. The instruction to restrict access to raw data was not a violation of any governing directive.<ref name=":1" /> Marc Caputo of ''NBC News'' wrote that "the independent report paints a portrait of an employee who did not understand public health policy or the significance of epidemiological data, did not have high-level access to crucial information and leveled claims that made professional health officials 'skeptical.'"<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last1=Caputo |first1=Marc |title=Florida IG report: 'Insufficient evidence' for DeSantis critic's claims of Covid cover-up |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/florida-ig-report-insufficient-evidence-desantis-critics-claims-covid-rcna30647 |website=NBC News |access-date=May 26, 2022 |language=en |date=May 26, 2022 |archive-date=May 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526200556/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/florida-ig-report-insufficient-evidence-desantis-critics-claims-covid-rcna30647 |url-status=live }}</ref> Several news outlets and public officials have since called her credibility and narrative into question, referring to her as a "fraud,"<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":17">{{Cite web |last=McGraw |first=Meridith |date=2023-08-17 |title=The Hard-Tweeting Defense Lawyer GOP Candidates Have Learned to Fear |url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/08/17/ron-filipkowski-desantis-trump-00110950 |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}</ref> "grifter,"<ref name=":17" /><ref name=":18" /><ref name=":19">{{Cite web |last=Loomar |first=Ava |title=Is Florida COVID data activist Rebekah Jones grifter or hero, villain or role model, liar or whistleblower? Maybe all of the above. |url=https://www.orlandoweekly.com/news/is-florida-covid-data-activist-rebekah-jones-grifter-or-hero-villain-or-role-model-liar-or-whistleblower-maybe-all-of-the-above-29505424 |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=Orlando Weekly |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":20" /> and "conspiracy theorist."<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":21">{{Cite web |last=McLaughlin |first=Kelly |title=The Florida COVID-19 data 'whistleblower' crashed the state's dashboard and locked out her manager before she was fired, the National Review reports |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/rebekah-jones-florida-covid-19-whistleblower-dashboard-national-review-2021-5 |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref>
=== Subsequent activities === On October 26, 2022, Jones posted an altered image of a letter from the Florida Commission on Human Relations on her Instagram account, which she said proved that her whistleblower claims were validated. The caption read "Someone let Marc Caputo know he's a lying sack of s--t." The differences included adding a statement that she had "demonstrated a) violation of law 'which create and presents a substantial and specific danger to the public's health, safety, or welfare;' or b) actual or suspected 'gross mismanagement' as defined by the Act, …" and references to specific rules related to firing state employees. There were also inconsistencies in the text's formatting and style.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Little |first1=Jim |title=After whistleblower complaint was closed, Rebekah Jones' shared altered official letter |url=https://www.pnj.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/10/28/rebekah-jones-congressional-candidate-facing-rep-matt-gaetz-whistleblower-case-closed/10614339002/ |access-date=16 January 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20221029034507/https://www.pnj.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/10/28/rebekah-jones-congressional-candidate-facing-rep-matt-gaetz-whistleblower-case-closed/10614339002/ |archive-date=October 29, 2022 |work=Pensacola News Journal |date=October 28, 2022}}</ref> She subsequently deleted the post, but maintains that the version Caputo received from FCHR was the forgery.<ref name="Pensacola News Journal">{{cite news |last1=Little |first1=Jim |title=After whistleblower complaint was closed, Rebekah Jones' shared altered official letter |url=https://www.pnj.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/10/28/rebekah-jones-congressional-candidate-facing-rep-matt-gaetz-whistleblower-case-closed/10614339002/ |access-date=16 January 2023 |work=Pensacola News Journal |date=October 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20221029034507/https://www.pnj.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/10/28/rebekah-jones-congressional-candidate-facing-rep-matt-gaetz-whistleblower-case-closed/10614339002/ |archive-date=October 29, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Rebekah Jones misrepresents findings of state investigation in Instagram post |url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/nov/01/rebekah-jones/rebekah-jones-misrepresents-findings-state-investi/ |access-date=2022-11-03 |website=PolitiFact |language=en-US |archive-date=November 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221103001859/https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/nov/01/rebekah-jones/rebekah-jones-misrepresents-findings-state-investi/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The ''Pensacola News Journal'' verified the digital copy they received was not modified after the day it was created and mailed to Jones.<ref name="Pensacola News Journal" />
After her firing, Jones launched an independent COVID-19 data dashboard for the state of Florida called Florida COVID Action,<ref name="nytimes2">{{cite news |last=Mazzei |first=Patricia |date=11 December 2020 |title=A State Scientist Questioned Florida's Virus Data. Now Her Home's Been Raided. |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/11/us/florida-coronavirus-data-rebekah-jones.html |url-status=live |access-date=8 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221220164844/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/11/us/florida-coronavirus-data-rebekah-jones.html |archive-date=December 20, 2022}}</ref> which gained her an award from ''Forbes'' and recognition by ''Fortune''.<ref name="forbes" /><ref name="fortune" /> A Florida spokesperson criticized Jones's COVID-19 dashboard for including antibody tests,{{efn|name=antibody}} for counting virus tests with antibody tests, and for counting non-resident deaths.<ref name="wapo">{{Cite news |last=Iati |first=Marisa |date=June 16, 2020 |title=Florida fired its coronavirus data scientist. Jones is publishing the statistics on her own. |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/06/12/rebekah-jones-florida-coronavirus/ |access-date=2020-12-08 |archive-date=January 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117160123/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/06/12/rebekah-jones-florida-coronavirus/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2020, she secured a partnership between Florida COVID Action and non-profit FinMango on a national project. The COVID Monitor, co-founded by Oscar Wahltinez, a FinMango board member who also worked at Google, used open data to track COVID-19's spread at schools, with the help of Google tools such as Google Cloud. Jones repeatedly mischaracterized this as a partnership with the multinational, to which it protested.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Alvarado |first1=Francisco |date=24 August 2020 |title=Ron DeSantis' Worst Nightmare Has a New Target: Schools |language=en-us |work=Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/rebekah-jones-fired-florida-data-scientist-and-ron-desantis-worst-nightmare-goes-after-covid-in-schools |access-date=20 January 2024}}</ref><ref name="Cosmopolitan2">{{cite news |last1=Bloch |first1=Emily |date=11 March 2021 |title=Rebekah Jones Tried to Protect Florida From COVID-19—and Then Its Governor Came After Her |language=en-us |work=Cosmopolitan |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a35714647/rebekah-jones-florida-covid-19-data-whistleblower-arrest/ |access-date=31 January 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2020-11-13 |title=S4 E8 - How The COVID Monitor Project is Driving Data Transparency & Access |url=https://community.dataiku.com/t5/Banana-Data-Podcast/S4-E8-How-The-COVID-Monitor-Project-is-Driving-Data-Transparency/ba-p/11850 |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=Dataiku Community |language=en}}</ref>
In March 2023, Jones filed a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Health, the state Surgeon General and a former deputy secretary seeking reinstatement, back wages, compensation for emotional distress and punitive damages for being fired in May 2020. Jones claims that her due process and free speech rights were violated in retaliation for being a whistleblower.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rosica |first=Jim |date=2023-03-13 |title=Years after firing, Rebekah Jones now suing state of Florida to get job back |url=https://www.cityandstatefl.com/policy/2023/03/rebekah-jones-now-suing-state-florida-get-her-job-back-covid-whistleblower-lawsuit/383944/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314013149/https://www.cityandstatefl.com/policy/2023/03/rebekah-jones-now-suing-state-florida-get-her-job-back-covid-whistleblower-lawsuit/383944/ |archive-date=2023-03-14 |access-date=2023-04-08 |website=City & State FL |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lenthang |first=Marlene |date=2023-04-01 |title=Son of controversial Florida data scientist charged with making alleged school threats |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/son-controversial-florida-data-scientist-charged-making-alleged-school-rcna78653 |access-date=2023-04-08 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref> On February 25, 2025, Judge Angela Dempsey granted the defendants' motions for summary judgment, ruling that Deputy Secretary of Health Shamarial Roberson and the Florida Department of Health acted lawfully in terminating Rebekah Jones for documented insubordination, and that in the eyes of the court, Rebekah Jones is not a legitimate whistleblower, despite her claims.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scheckner |first=Jesse |date=2025-02-28 |title=Judge tosses Rebekah Jones' whistleblower lawsuit, siding with Department of Health |url=https://floridapolitics.com/archives/723686-judge-tosses-rebekah-jones-whistleblower-lawsuit-siding-with-department-of-health/ |access-date=2025-02-28 |website=Florida Politics |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sexton |first=John |date=2025-02-28 |title=Rebekah Jones Loses Another Lawsuit |url=https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2025/02/28/rebekah-jones-loses-another-lawsuit-n3800314 |access-date=2025-02-28 |website=hotair.com |language=en}}</ref>
Jones also alleged that the governor's office was micromanaging the health department and for misleading the public about the state's vaccination data. These claims were substantiated, but were not a part of the whistleblower complaint Jones filed.<ref name="Miami Herald" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chait |first=Jonathan |date=2022-04-01 |title=The Last Defense of DeSantis's Anti-Vaccine Campaign Goes Poof |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/04/last-defense-of-desantiss-anti-vaccine-campaign-goes-poof.html |access-date=2023-02-10 |website=Intelligencer |language=en-us}}</ref> The state of Florida settled a public records lawsuit in October 2023 filed by Carlos Guillermo Smith and the non-profit Florida Center for Government Accountability after withholding COVID-19 data from the public.<ref>{{Cite web |title=COVID reporting timeline from 2020 to now: How Florida changed what it tells us about cases |url=https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/2023/11/27/florida-covid-numbers-cases-deaths-rebekah-jones-reports-coronavirus-pandemic/71680965007/ |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=Daytona Beach News-Journal Online |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-09 |title=Florida settles lawsuit over COVID data, agrees to provide weekly stats to the public |url=https://apnews.com/article/covid19-health-data-lawsuit-settled-c3c26adfd34fd5e6e6615a39de37d617 |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-04 |title=DeSantis is squeezing the sunshine out of Florida's public records law, critics say |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/desantis-florida-public-records-transparency-rcna91364 |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref>
==2022 Congressional candidacy==
In May 2021, Jones announced that she would not run for congress, either in Maryland where she was living at the time, or in Florida, stating that she did not feel safe running in Florida, and that she was not well-enough prepared to run in Maryland.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Weber |first1=Thomas |title=Fired pandemic data manager Rebekah Jones won't run for Congress |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-rebekah-jones-congress-not-running-20210521-tks63f75pfgodlkswu4iwvukwa-story.html |access-date=26 February 2022 |newspaper=Orlando Sentinel |date=May 21, 2021 |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226192631/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-rebekah-jones-congress-not-running-20210521-tks63f75pfgodlkswu4iwvukwa-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A day after her suspension from Twitter in June, she announced her intention to run against incumbent Matt Gaetz in the 2022 U.S. House elections but subsequently downplayed her announcement in another post, saying that if a Republican or Democratic challenger did not appear, "Well, November 2022 is a long ways away".<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-06-08|title=Rebekah Jones Announces, Then Walks Back Plans To Run Against Matt Gaetz|url=https://news.wfsu.org/state-news/2021-06-08/rebekah-jones-announces-plans-to-run-against-matt-gaetz|access-date=2021-06-15|website=WFSU News|language=en|archive-date=June 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615044712/https://news.wfsu.org/state-news/2021-06-08/rebekah-jones-announces-plans-to-run-against-matt-gaetz|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-06-08|title=Fired Florida data official Rebekah Jones yo-yoes on congressional bid|url=https://www.wptv.com/news/state/fired-florida-data-official-rebekah-jones-yo-yoes-on-congressional-bid|access-date=2021-06-15|website=WPTV|language=en|archive-date=June 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609181656/https://www.wptv.com/news/state/fired-florida-data-official-rebekah-jones-yo-yoes-on-congressional-bid|url-status=live}}</ref> Jones launched her campaign for Florida's first congressional district in July 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Nazaryan|first=Alexander|date=August 6, 2021|title=Data scientist who clashed with DeSantis returns to Florida, preparing to run against Matt Gaetz|url=https://news.yahoo.com/data-scientist-who-clashed-with-de-santis-returns-to-florida-as-covid-surges-preparing-to-run-against-matt-gaetz-162223028.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-08-28|website=news.yahoo.com|language=en-US|archive-date=July 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707082040/https://news.yahoo.com/data-scientist-who-clashed-with-de-santis-returns-to-florida-as-covid-surges-preparing-to-run-against-matt-gaetz-162223028.html}}</ref> Although she filed with the FEC as an independent, she later had to change her filing to run as a Democrat due to voting and election law changes enacted before Jones declared her candidacy.<ref>{{Cite web|title=What's in Florida's new election law?|url=https://www.politifact.com/article/2021/jun/02/whats-floridas-new-election-law/|access-date=2021-08-28|website=PolitiFact|language=en-US|archive-date=October 31, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031042050/https://www.politifact.com/article/2021/jun/02/whats-floridas-new-election-law/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Scheckner |first1=Jessie |title=Rebekah Jones to run as Democrat, not Independent, citing elections law strictures |url=https://floridapolitics.com/archives/450160-rebekah-jones-to-run-as-democrat-not-independent-citing-elections-bill-strictures/ |access-date=26 February 2022 |publisher=Florida Politics |date=August 13, 2021 |archive-date=March 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327231604/https://floridapolitics.com/archives/450160-rebekah-jones-to-run-as-democrat-not-independent-citing-elections-bill-strictures/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
On July 15, 2022, a lawsuit was filed against Jones by her primary campaign opponent, Margaret "Peggy" Schiller and a Northwest Florida resident, asserting that Jones violated a state law that requires someone to be a member of a political party for a full year ahead of qualifying if they are running for that party's nomination. The suit sought an injunction to remove Jones from the primary ballot.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fineout |first=Gary |title=Florida Democrats: Fretting, dancing, firing back |url=https://politi.co/3AYWOOq |access-date=2022-07-19 |website=POLITICO |date=July 18, 2022 |language=en |archive-date=January 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112012844/https://www.politico.com/newsletters/florida-playbook/2022/07/18/florida-democrats-fretting-dancing-firing-back-00046291 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Little |first=Jim |title=Opponent files lawsuit against Rebekah Jones challenging eligibility |url=https://www.pnj.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/07/19/rebekah-jones-eligibility-peggy-schiller-files-lawsuit-florida-1st-congressional-district/10085707002/ |access-date=2022-07-19 |website=Pensacola News Journal |language=en-US |archive-date=July 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719133031/https://www.pnj.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/07/19/rebekah-jones-eligibility-peggy-schiller-files-lawsuit-florida-1st-congressional-district/10085707002/ |url-status=live }}</ref> She was removed from the ballot on August 5 after a judge ruled she failed to meet political party registration requirements.<ref name="Booted">{{cite web |last1=Ogles |first1=Jacob |title=Judge tosses Rebekah Jones from CD 1 race |url=https://floridapolitics.com/archives/544616-judge-tosses-rebekah-jones-from-cd-1-race/ |website=Florida Politics |date=August 5, 2022 |access-date=August 5, 2022 |archive-date=August 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805212444/https://floridapolitics.com/archives/544616-judge-tosses-rebekah-jones-from-cd-1-race/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Kai |date=2022-08-12 |title=Court grants motion allowing Rebekah Jones to continue Florida District 1 campaign |url=https://weartv.com/news/local/court-grants-motion-allowing-rebekah-jones-to-continue-florida-district-1-campaign |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=WEAR |language=en |archive-date=August 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220823073947/https://weartv.com/news/local/court-grants-motion-allowing-rebekah-jones-to-continue-florida-district-1-campaign |url-status=live }}</ref> On August 12, Jones was granted a motion to stay with regards to her appeal of the ruling, allowing her to continue her campaign.<ref name=":2" /> On August 22, 2022, the 1st District Court of Appeals reversed the lower court ruling, letting Jones stay on the ballot as a valid candidate.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McLaughlin |first=Tom |title=Rebekah Jones wins appeal, will be valid candidate in Democratic primary Tuesday |url=https://www.pnj.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/08/22/rebekah-jones-wins-appeal-face-democrat-peggy-schiller-primary-in-florida-1st-congressional-district/7867036001/ |access-date=2022-08-23 |website=Pensacola News Journal |language=en-US |archive-date=January 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112012845/https://www.pnj.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/08/22/rebekah-jones-wins-appeal-face-democrat-peggy-schiller-primary-in-florida-1st-congressional-district/7867036001/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On August 23, 2022, she won the Democratic primary election, and ran against Gaetz in the November general election,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mazzei |first=Patricia |date=2022-08-24 |title=A former coronavirus data manager who clashed with DeSantis will challenge Gaetz in Florida. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/23/us/politics/rebekah-jones-matt-gaetz-florida.html |access-date=2022-08-24 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=August 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220824142705/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/23/us/politics/rebekah-jones-matt-gaetz-florida.html |url-status=live }}</ref> which she lost on November 8, 2022.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Kai |date=2022-11-08 |title=Rep. Gaetz defeats Democrat Rebekah Jones for Florida District 1 Congressional seat |url=https://weartv.com/news/local/rep-gaetz-defeats-democrat-rebekah-jones-for-florida-district-1-congressional-seat |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221109022645/https://weartv.com/news/local/rep-gaetz-defeats-democrat-rebekah-jones-for-florida-district-1-congressional-seat |archive-date=November 9, 2022 |access-date=2022-11-09 |website=WEAR |language=en}}</ref>
==Legal issues==
=== Assault on LSU police officer === In Louisiana in 2016 Jones was arrested and charged by the LSU Police Department with one count each of battery on a police officer and remaining after forbidden, plus two counts of resisting arrest after refusing to vacate a LSU office upon being dismissed from her staff position.<ref name=":6">{{cite web |date=December 16, 2020 |title=FDLE Chief Defends Agents, Says Jones' 'Conspiracy' Allegation 'Sounds Ridiculous' |url=https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/courts-law/2020-12-16/fdle-chief-defends-agents-says-jones-conspiracy-allegation-sounds-ridiculous |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112013401/https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/courts-law/2020-12-16/fdle-chief-defends-agents-says-jones-conspiracy-allegation-sounds-ridiculous |archive-date=January 12, 2023 |access-date=11 April 2021 |website=WUSF}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=5 July 2016 |title=Staff member booked after altercation with LSUPD officers |work=The Daily Reveille |url=https://www.lsureveille.com/daily/crime-briefs-student-charged-with-three-counts-of-drug-possession/article_14076f2e-3368-11e6-a129-2717ab6bb2be.html |url-status=live |access-date=8 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112013402/https://www.lsureveille.com/daily/crime-briefs-student-charged-with-three-counts-of-drug-possession/article_14076f2e-3368-11e6-a129-2717ab6bb2be.html |archive-date=January 12, 2023}}</ref>
=== Unauthorized access of state computer systems ===
==== Armed execution of search warrant (raid) ==== On December 7, 2020, at 8:30 a.m., Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) executed a search warrant upon Jones' home for suspected unauthorized access of Florida Department of Health computer systems.<ref name=":23">{{Cite news |last1=Chappell |first1=Bill |date=December 8, 2020 |title=Florida Agents Raid Home Of Rebekah Jones, Former State Data Scientist |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/12/08/944200394/florida-agents-raid-home-of-rebekah-jones-former-state-data-scientist |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528010411/https://www.npr.org/2020/12/08/944200394/florida-agents-raid-home-of-rebekah-jones-former-state-data-scientist |archive-date=May 28, 2021 |access-date=2021-05-21 |website=NPR.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Klas |first1=Mary Ellen |last2=Ceballos |first2=Ana |date=7 December 2020 |title=Did COVID data whistleblower hack Florida's emergency alert system? Police raid home |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article247680010.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904105514/https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article247680010.html |archive-date=September 4, 2021 |access-date=7 December 2020 |work=Miami Herald}}</ref> FDLE said in a statement she was suspected of accessing the system to send an unauthorized message, "speak up before another 17,000 people are dead," to members of the State Emergency Response Team on November 10, 2020, which originated from her home's IP address.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ross |first=Allison |date=27 November 2020 |title=Florida's emergency communications channel hacked, according to state official |url=https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2020/11/27/floridas-emergency-communications-channel-hacked-according-to-state-officials/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221223120605/https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2020/11/27/floridas-emergency-communications-channel-hacked-according-to-state-officials/ |archive-date=December 23, 2022 |access-date=2020-12-08 |work=Tampa Bay Times}}</ref><ref name=":23" /> Jones denied sending the unauthorized message.<ref>{{cite news |date=8 December 2020 |title=Florida police raid home of former Covid-19 scientist |url=https://edition.cnn.com/videos/us/2020/12/08/florida-raid-coronavirus-scientist-cpt-intv-rebekah-jones-vpx.cnn |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201112243/https://edition.cnn.com/videos/us/2020/12/08/florida-raid-coronavirus-scientist-cpt-intv-rebekah-jones-vpx.cnn |archive-date=December 1, 2022 |access-date=2020-12-08 |work=Cuomo Prime Time |publisher=CNN}}</ref> The execution of the search warrant with armed police officers, widely referred to as a police raid, was defended by the FDLE as necessary due to Jones' criminal history, including a battery charge on a police officer.<ref name=":6" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Pilkington |first=Ed |date=2020-12-08 |title=Armed police raid home of Florida scientist fired over Covid-19 data |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/dec/07/florida-police-raid-data-scientist-coronavirus |access-date=2023-12-03 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Devine |first=Casey Tolan, Curt |date=2020-12-08 |title=Florida police raid home of former state Covid-19 data scientist |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/07/us/florida-search-warrant-raid-rebekah-jones-invs/index.html |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> Her viral tweets of home security footage of the encounter, which prompted the characterization that it was a raid, helped raise more than $200,000 of more than $500,000 on one of her GoFundMe campaigns.<ref>{{cite news |last=Chute |first=Nate |date=7 December 2020 |title=Watch video of FDLE agents entering Rebekah Jones' home with guns drawn |url=https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2020/12/07/rebekah-jones-florida-raid-covid-19-coronavirus-dashboard-scientist-ron-desantis/6483823002/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521103319/https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2020/12/07/rebekah-jones-florida-raid-covid-19-coronavirus-dashboard-scientist-ron-desantis/6483823002/ |archive-date=May 21, 2022 |access-date=2020-12-08 |work=Tallahassee Democrat}}</ref><ref name=":14">{{Cite web |last1=Klas |first1=Mary Ellen |last2=Ceballos |first2=Ana |date=December 9, 2020 |title=After police raid, Florida data analyst's GoFundMe grows by $200,000 |url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2020/12/09/after-police-raid-data-analysts-gofundme-grows-by-200000/ |access-date=2024-05-24 |website=Tampa Bay Times |language=en}}</ref>
U.S. civil liberties watchdog Electronic Frontier Foundation warned about over-reliance on IP addresses and called for the need to reform overbroad computer crime laws.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cohn |first1=Cindy |date=10 December 2020 |title=Raid on COVID Whistleblower in Florida Shows the Need to Reform Overbroad Computer Crime Laws and the Risks of Over-Reliance on IP Addresses |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/12/raid-covid-whistleblower-florida-shows-need-reform-overbroad-computer-crime-laws |access-date=31 January 2023 |work=Electronic Frontier Foundation}}</ref> ''Ars Technica'' reported that the affidavit had stated that the emergency alert system at the time the unauthorized message was sent used a single username and password. Those credentials were publicly posted on the DOH website during the interval that the unauthorized message was sent.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cox |first1=Kate |date=9 December 2020 |title=COVID data manager investigated, raided for using publicly available password |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/12/florida-posted-the-password-to-a-key-disaster-system-on-its-website/ |work=Ars Technica}}</ref> alt=Rebekah Jones in 2021 Mugshot|thumb|Rebekah Jones in 2021 Mugshot
==== Arrest and deferred prosecution agreement ==== Jones turned herself in on January 18, 2021,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Burnside |first1=Tina |last2=Yan |first2=Holly |date=January 18, 2021 |title=Fired Florida data scientist Rebekah Jones turns herself in to jail and tests positive for Covid-19 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/18/us/rebekah-jones-data-scientist-surrender/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903084842/https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/18/us/rebekah-jones-data-scientist-surrender/index.html |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |access-date=10 April 2021 |website=CNN}}</ref> two days after an arrest warrant was issued for Jones by the FDLE following a finding of probable cause that she breached the system, sent the unauthorized message, and illegally downloaded the confidential information of more than 20,000 state employees.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Davis |first=Jason |date=January 16, 2021 |title=Arrest warrant issued for former Florida Dept. of Health analyst Rebekah Jones |url=https://www.wptv.com/news/state/arrest-warrant-issued-for-former-florida-dept-of-health-analyst-rebekah-jones |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117013959/https://www.wptv.com/news/state/arrest-warrant-issued-for-former-florida-dept-of-health-analyst-rebekah-jones |archive-date=January 17, 2021 |access-date=January 16, 2021 |work= |publisher=WPTV-TV}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Saunders |first1=Forrest |date=January 21, 2021 |title=Experts predict challenging legal battle for former state of Florida employee Rebekah Jones |url=https://www.wptv.com/news/state/experts-predict-challenging-legal-battle-for-former-state-of-florida-employee-rebekah-jones |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903084849/https://www.wptv.com/news/state/experts-predict-challenging-legal-battle-for-former-state-of-florida-employee-rebekah-jones |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |access-date=January 12, 2023 |website=Florida Today}}</ref> On December 8, 2022, she entered into a deferred prosecution agreement to avoid trial, where among other requirements, she would have to admit guilt, pay a $20,000 fine to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, do community service, and see a mental health professional monthly.<ref>{{Cite web |author=WEAR Staff |date=2022-12-09 |title=Rebekah Jones ordered to admit guilt, pay FDLE $20K in 'deferred prosecution agreement' |url=https://weartv.com/news/local/rebekah-jones-ordered-to-admit-guilt-pay-fdle-20k-in-deferred-prosecution-agreement |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209221247/https://weartv.com/news/local/rebekah-jones-ordered-to-admit-guilt-pay-fdle-20k-in-deferred-prosecution-agreement |archive-date=December 9, 2022 |access-date=2022-12-09 |website=WEAR |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2022-12-09 |title=Rebekah Jones Avoids Trial, Admits Guilt in Plea Deal with Prosecutors |url=https://ssrnews.com/rebekah-jones-avoids-trial-admits-guilt-in-plea-deal/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209215741/https://ssrnews.com/rebekah-jones-avoids-trial-admits-guilt-in-plea-deal/ |archive-date=December 9, 2022 |access-date=2022-12-09 |website=South Santa Rosa News |language=en-US}}</ref>
Jones posted online that the charges had been dropped, that she never admitted to guilt, and referred to the fine as extortion. The prosecutor of the case said that she mischaracterized the plea agreement. Jones raised more than $10,000 of $352,668 on a GoFundMe campaign in the five days after the agreement was made.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-12-12 |title=A prosecutor says Rebekah Jones mischaracterizes her agreement in a hacking plea deal |url=https://www.wusf.org/courts-law/2022-12-12/florida-covid-data-critic-reaches-agreement-on-felony-charge |access-date=2024-05-03 |website=WUSF |language=en}}</ref>
==== Dropped lawsuit ==== Jones filed a lawsuit on December 20, 2020,<ref name="Grenoble">{{Cite web |last=Grenoble |first=Ryan |date=2020-12-22 |title=Florida Data Scientist Rebekah Jones Files Suit Over 'Sham' Raid |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rebekah-jones-florida-lawsuit-raid_n_5fe229afc5b6e1ce83365d63 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903084840/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rebekah-jones-florida-lawsuit-raid_n_5fe229afc5b6e1ce83365d63 |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |access-date=2020-12-24 |website=HuffPost}}</ref> against the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Commissioner Rick Swearingen<ref name="Burke">{{Cite news |last=Burke |first=Peter |date=2020-12-21 |title=Attorneys for Rebekah Jones call FDLE raid 'a sham' in lawsuit |url=https://www.wptv.com/news/state/attorneys-for-rebekah-jones-call-fdle-raid-a-sham-in-lawsuit |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812203517/https://www.wptv.com/news/state/attorneys-for-rebekah-jones-call-fdle-raid-a-sham-in-lawsuit |archive-date=August 12, 2022 |access-date=2020-12-24 |work=WPTV}}</ref> alleging that the police obtained a "sham" search warrant whose true purpose was to retaliate against her. Her suit claimed that one of the FDLE agents grabbed her "without consent, authorization, or legitimate basis" while searching her home.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Devine |first=Curt |date=21 December 2020 |title=Fired Florida Covid data scientist's lawsuit calls search of her home 'retaliation' |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/21/us/rebekah-jones-florida-lawsuit-invs/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629080959/https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/21/us/rebekah-jones-florida-lawsuit-invs/index.html |archive-date=June 29, 2022 |access-date=2020-12-24 |work=CNN}}</ref> She also alleged that the FDLE violated her First Amendment free speech rights, and had performed an unlawful search and seizure when they confiscated computers and her personal cell phone.<ref name="Grenoble" /> Attorneys for Jones sought damages and a jury trial, stating in the 19-page lawsuit, which was filed in Leon County court, that "They entered her home with guns drawn, terrorizing her family."<ref name="Burke" /> On February 6, 2021, court records show Jones dropped the lawsuit against the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, although the disposition of her seized property remained unresolved.<ref>{{cite news |date=8 February 2021 |title=Rebekah Jones, former coronavirus data worker, drops lawsuit against FDLE |url=https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/regional/florida/rebekah-jones-coronavirus-data-florida-drops-lawsuit/67-a77012d6-de44-4d55-ba0e-e9f21c90255a |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112012845/https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/regional/florida/rebekah-jones-coronavirus-data-florida-drops-lawsuit/67-a77012d6-de44-4d55-ba0e-e9f21c90255a |archive-date=January 12, 2023 |access-date=8 February 2021 |work=WTSP}}</ref> Body camera footage was later released by FDLE, though this footage did not show the officers entering the house, as seen in the footage from Jones's home security cameras.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Florida police raid house of fired data scientist who alleged state manipulated covid-19 stats |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/12/07/rebekah-jones-covid-19-dashboard-florida-desantis/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201222094651/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/12/07/rebekah-jones-covid-19-dashboard-florida-desantis/ |archive-date=December 22, 2020 |access-date=2021-05-28 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref name=":20">{{Cite web |last=Schweers |first=Jeffrey |date=2020-12-10 |title=Rebekah Jones: Questions linger over FDLE handling of search warrant as bodycam video released |url=https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/local/state/2020/12/10/rebekah-jones-body-camera-video-released-search-tallahassee-home/6507491002/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803161022/https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/local/state/2020/12/10/rebekah-jones-body-camera-video-released-search-tallahassee-home/6507491002/ |archive-date=August 3, 2021 |access-date=2021-05-17 |website=Tallahassee Democrat |language=en-US}}</ref> alt=Rebekah Jones in 2019 Mugshot|thumb|218x218px|Rebekah Jones in 2019 Mugshot
=== Cyberstalking of FSU student === On June 7, 2023, Jones pled no-contest to a 2019 misdemeanor cyberstalking charge. Beginning in 2017, Jones was accused of harassing and stalking a former student while she was a teacher at FSU. In July 2019, Jones was charged with stalking, cyberstalking, and sexual cyberharassment, after she published revenge porn of the victim and details of their sexual encounters on social media.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Kai |date=2023-06-08 |title=Rebekah Jones to serve 1-year probation for 2019 cyberstalking charge |url=https://weartv.com/news/local/rebekah-jones-to-serve-1-year-probation-for-2019-cyberstalking-charge |access-date=2023-06-09 |website=WEAR |language=en}}</ref><ref name="WUFT-20202">{{cite news |last= |first= |date=22 July 2020 |title=Criminal Stalking Case Against Fired Florida Health Data Scientist To Drag Into August |url=https://www.wuft.org/news/2020/07/22/criminal-stalking-case-against-fired-florida-health-data-scientist-to-drag-into-august/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230108090001/https://www.wuft.org/news/2020/07/22/criminal-stalking-case-against-fired-florida-health-data-scientist-to-drag-into-august/ |archive-date=January 8, 2023 |access-date=8 February 2021 |work=WUFT (TV)}}</ref> Other dropped charges related to the case include felony robbery, trespass, criminal mischief, and contempt of court stemming from an alleged violation of a domestic violence restraining order.<ref name="WUFT-20202" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Desai |first=Jigsha |date=8 December 2020 |title=Who is Rebekah Jones? Former Florida COVID-19 data scientist had home raided by authorities |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/12/08/rebekah-jones-coronavirus-scientist-dashboard-ron-desantis-florida-covid-19/6488291002/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221217095726/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/12/08/rebekah-jones-coronavirus-scientist-dashboard-ron-desantis-florida-covid-19/6488291002/ |archive-date=December 17, 2022 |access-date=8 January 2021 |work=USA Today}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Armus |first1=Teo |last2=Iati |first2=Marisa |date=9 December 2020 |title=GOP lawyer appointed by Florida governor resigns state panel in protest over raid on ousted data scientist's home |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/12/09/florida-republican-resigns-raid/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230101172658/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/12/09/florida-republican-resigns-raid/ |archive-date=January 1, 2023 |access-date=8 January 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref><ref name="nytimes2" /> According to police reports, Jones was fired for allegedly threatening to give a failing grade to the victim's roommate.<ref name="WUFT-20202" />
== Twitter activity == {{As of|2020|December}}, Jones had more than 340,000 followers on Twitter.<ref name=":14" /> Jones is a controversial'''<ref name=":15" />''' figure and activist who has used the account to make unsupported statements about issues such as COVID-19, DeSantis, and other topics and people.<ref name=":7" /> She also frequently instigated fights with public officials, politicians, and academics.<ref name=":18">{{Cite web |title=Records in Rebekah Jones case give peek at Florida COVID-19 response |url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2021/06/04/florida-whistleblower-rebekah-jones-gives-a-look-behind-the-scenes/ |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=Tampa Bay Times |language=en}}</ref> Jones tweeted that Shamarial Roberson, Florida's deputy secretary for health, was a fraud and a murderer.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Soave |first=Robby |date=2021-05-13 |title=Rebekah Jones, Florida's COVID-19 Whistleblower, Seems Like a Fraud |url=https://reason.com/2021/05/13/rebekah-jones-floridas-covid-19-whistleblower-seems-like-a-fraud/ |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=Reason.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Jones attacked epidemiologists Natalie Dean and Jason Salemi for disputing the accuracy of Jones' claims. Salemi left Twitter in response to Jones's behavior.<ref name="nbcnews.com" /><ref name=":10">{{Cite web |last1=Caputo |first1=Marc |last2=Fineout |first2=Gary |date=2021-06-04 |title=Democrat who ran Florida's pandemic response blasts Rebekah Jones for 'running a disinformation campaign' |url=https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2021/06/04/democrat-who-ran-floridas-pandemic-response-blasts-rebekah-jones-for-running-a-disinformation-campaign-1385039 |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}</ref> Jones also engaged in a feud with Christina Pushaw, who wrote an article critical of Jones.<ref name=":7" />
<!--See WP:NATIONALREVIEW. This article's information includes statements from university officials and law enforcement.-->In August 2020, Jones used Twitter to attack Jon Taylor, a PhD candidate at Florida Atlantic University who had created a COVID-19 tracker with his advisor, Rebel A. Cole, to correct for a potentially misleading statistic and present the data in a way more easily understood by the public.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Waugh |first=Danielle |date=2020-07-21 |title=FAU researchers create new COVID-19 tracker |url=https://cbs12.com/news/local/fau-researchers-create-new-covid-19-tracker |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=WPEC |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-08-12 |title=FAU Expert Says COVID-19 Public Policy Decisions Based on Potentially Misleading Statistic |url=https://apnews.com/0fc4505ab80375667815be91c6aa4477 |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":11">{{Cite web |date=2021-06-18 |title=A Grad Student Tried to Correct a Misleading COVID Narrative. Rebekah Jones Tried to Ruin His Career for It |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/news/a-florida-graduate-student-wanted-to-correct-the-record-on-covid-deaths-rebekah-jones-tried-to-ruin-his-career-over-it/ |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=National Review}}</ref> Jones initially referred to Taylor as a "quack" and a "fraud", but as the tracker gained media attention, she tweeted that Taylor and Cole had sexually harassed her, and tagged the university. Jones also emailed Daniel Gropper, the College of Business dean, who escalated the report to the vice president of the university and the chief of the university's police department. The chief asked Jones to substantiate her claims, but received no response. Jones later deleted the tweets and denied engaging in the defamation.<ref name=":11" />
In June 2021, Jones was suspended from Twitter for violations of the Twitter rules on spam and platform manipulation.<ref name="yahoo">{{cite news |last=Evans |first=Zachary |date=7 June 2021 |title=Twitter Suspends Fraudulent COVID Whistleblower Rebekah Jones. |work=Yahoo News |url=https://news.yahoo.com/twitter-suspends-fraudulent-covid-whistleblower-172804851.html?guccounter=1 |url-status=live |access-date=8 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608174730/https://news.yahoo.com/twitter-suspends-fraudulent-covid-whistleblower-172804851.html?guccounter=1 |archive-date=June 8, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |author=Corky Siemaszko |date=June 8, 2021 |title=Covid Whistle-blower Rebekah Jones is challenging Rep. Matt Gaetz |language=en-US |work=NBC News |url=https://news.yahoo.com/covid-whistle-blower-rebekah-jones-201300869.html |url-status=live |access-date=2021-06-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609204105/https://news.yahoo.com/covid-whistle-blower-rebekah-jones-201300869.html |archive-date=June 9, 2021 |via=news.yahoo.com}}</ref> DeSantis's office commented upon the suspension, with a spokesperson calling it "long overdue" and accusing Jones of spreading "defamatory conspiracy theories".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Choi |first=Joseph |date=2021-06-08 |title=Rebekah Jones's Twitter account suspended, DeSantis cheers |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/557384-rebekah-jones-twitter-account-suspended-desantis-cheers |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615044701/https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/557384-rebekah-jones-twitter-account-suspended-desantis-cheers |archive-date=June 15, 2021 |access-date=2021-06-15 |website=The Hill |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{Cite news |last1=Thebault |first1=Reis |last2=Iati |first2=Marisa |date=June 7, 2021 |title=DeSantis applauds fired whistleblower's Twitter suspension, the latest in an ongoing feud |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/06/07/rebekah-jones-twitter-desantis/ |url-status=live |access-date=2021-06-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610013905/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/06/07/rebekah-jones-twitter-desantis/ |archive-date=June 10, 2021}}</ref>
In April 2023, Jones tweeted that DeSantis had kidnapped her teenage son; the tweet received tens of millions of views. Jones had turned her son voluntarily into police after the issuance of a valid arrest warrant.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last1=Woodcock |first1=Claire |last2=Koebler |first2=Jason |date=2023-04-07 |title=Rebekah Jones' Viral Claims About Her Son's Arrest By 'Fascist' DeSantis Don't Match Available Evidence |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/rebekah-jones-viral-claims-about-her-sons-arrest-by-fascist-desantis-dont-match-available-evidence/ |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=Vice |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":15">{{Cite web |date=2023-04-07 |title=Son of controversial Florida data scientist charged with making alleged school threats |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/son-controversial-florida-data-scientist-charged-making-alleged-school-rcna78653 |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref> Jones used GoFundMe to raise at least $7,000 through her viral Twitter posts.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Woodcock |first1=Claire |last2=Koebler |first2=Jason |date=2023-04-07 |title=Rebekah Jones' Viral Claims About Her Son's Arrest By 'Fascist' DeSantis Don't Match Available Evidence |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/rebekah-jones-viral-claims-about-her-sons-arrest-by-fascist-desantis-dont-match-available-evidence/ |access-date=2024-05-03 |website=Vice |language=en}}</ref> In December 2023, her son pled no contest to threatening a mass shooting.<ref name=":12" /> The judge withheld adjudication of his case, placing him on "an indefinite period of probation not to exceed his 19th birthday," while he complied with sentencing requirements, including 50 hours of community service.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Benjamin |date=May 22, 2024 |title=Rebekah Jones' son sentenced to indefinite probation for Florida school shooting threats |url=https://www.pnj.com/story/news/crime/2024/05/22/rebekah-jones-son-sentenced-for-navarre-florida-school-shooting-threat/73787415007/ |access-date=2024-05-24 |website=Pensacola News Journal |language=en-US}}</ref> The familial relationship was mentioned by the media because of Jones's public statements about the case.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |title=Rebekah Jones' teen son pleads no contest to threatening Navarre school shooting, stabbing |url=https://www.pnj.com/story/news/crime/2023/12/15/rebekah-jones-son-pleads-no-contest-to-threatening-school-shooting/71929796007/ |access-date=2023-12-16 |website=Pensacola News Journal |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":13" /> Also in April 2023, Jones tweeted unsubstantiated statements about a private citizen of Kokomo, Indiana being a cyber terrorist.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tribune |first=Spencer Durham Kokomo |date=2023-07-05 |title=Kokomo man caught up in Twitter rumors spread by Florida's Rebekah Jones |url=https://www.kokomotribune.com/news/kokomo-man-caught-up-in-twitter-rumors-spread-by-floridas-rebekah-jones/article_04baac02-15dd-11ee-89d2-6fae00992f8e.html |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=Kokomo Tribune |language=en}}</ref>
== Public perception == Though she was widely referred to as a "whistleblower" and "hero", following official investigations and her Twitter activity, public officials and the media questioned her credibility, referring to her as a "fraud,"<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":17" /> "grifter,"<ref name=":17" /><ref name=":18" /><ref name=":19" /><ref name=":20" /> and "conspiracy theorist."<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":21" /> ''NBC News'' and ''The Washington Pos''t called some of her COVID-19 claims conspiracy theories.<ref name="nbcnews.com" /><ref name=":22" />
<!--WP:FOXNEWS, WP:NATIONALREVIEW, and Washington Examiner must be attributed. Do NOT include scientific or political claims from Fox News.-->Conservative media outlets ''Fox News'', ''National Review'', and ''Washington Examiner'' referred to her as a "conspiracist," "conspiracy theorist," and "grifter," often criticizing liberal media coverage of her as puffery that ignored available evidence.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Faria |first=Zachary |date=2022-05-27 |title=Investigation shows media darling Rebekah Jones is a conspiracy theorist - Washington Examiner |url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/1414608/investigation-shows-media-darling-rebekah-jones-is-a-conspiracy-theorist/ |access-date=2024-06-23 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Joseph Wulfsohn |first=Brian Flood |date=2023-04-18 |title=Liberal journalist regrets peddling Florida conspiracy theorist Rebekah Jones claims, but other media silent |url=https://www.foxnews.com/media/liberal-journalist-regrets-peddling-florida-conspiracy-theorist-rebekah-jones-claims-but-other-media-silent |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=Fox News |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cooke |first=Charles C. W. |date=2022-05-26 |title=Florida IG Rejects Conspiracist Rebekah Jones's 'Unsubstantiated' Covid Cover-up Claims |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/news/florida-ig-rejects-conspiracist-rebekah-joness-unsubstantiated-covid-cover-up-claims/ |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=National Review |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Brian Flood |first=David Rutz |date=2021-03-11 |title=Cosmo mocked for 'puffy coverage' of Florida COVID grifter Rebekah Jones |url=https://www.foxnews.com/media/cosmo-mocked-rebekah-jones-puffy-coverage |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=Fox News |language=en-US}}</ref> ''Fox News'' reported on a video made by progressive journalist Ana Kasparian in which she apologized for what she said was a bias against DeSantis and failing to do her due diligence on Jones and her claims.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks |first=Kristine |date=2023-04-13 |title=Liberal journalist apologizes for promoting Florida Democrat 'grifter' against DeSantis: 'Screwed up royally' |url=https://www.foxnews.com/media/liberal-journalist-apologizes-promoting-florida-democrat-grifter-against-desantis-screwed-up-royally |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=Fox News |language=en-US}}</ref> Jones's use of multiple GoFundMe campaigns and the manner in which she uses them was criticized by ''Vice'' after she Tweeted false claims about her son being kidnapped by the governor of Florida.<ref name=":9" />
== Honors == In 2020, Jones was recognized by ''Fortune'' magazine's 40 Under 40 in Healthcare for founding Florida COVID Action.<ref name="fortune">{{cite magazine|url=https://fortune.com/40-under-40/2020/rebekah-jones/|title=Rebekah Jones {{!}} 2020 40 under 40 in Health|magazine=Fortune|access-date=2020-12-08|archive-date=November 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112090505/https://fortune.com/40-under-40/2020/rebekah-jones/|url-status=live}}</ref> She was named ''Forbes''{{'}}s 2020 Technology Person of the Year for creating alternative Florida COVID-19 tracking dashboards.<ref name="forbes">{{cite magazine|last=Popkin|first=Helen A. S.|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/helenpopkin/2020/12/26/forbes-technology-awards-2020-geeks-step-up-when-governments-fail/|title=Forbes Technology Awards 2020: Geeks Step Up When Governments Fail|magazine=Forbes|date=2020-12-26|access-date=2021-01-14|archive-date=November 10, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110141557/https://www.forbes.com/sites/helenpopkin/2020/12/26/forbes-technology-awards-2020-geeks-step-up-when-governments-fail/|url-status=live}}</ref> She won Constantine Cannon's 2020 Whistleblower of the Year award.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-03-09 |title=2020 Whistleblower of the Year Goes to... Rebekah Jones |url=https://constantinecannon.com/whistleblower/whistleblower-insider-blog/2020-wboty-rebekah-jones/ |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=Constantine Cannon |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2023, she was presented with the Martha Mitchell Pillar Award at the Whistleblower Summit & Film Festival.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Whistleblower Summit & Film Festival |url=https://www.whistleblowersummit.com/post/the-whistleblower-summit-film-festival-hosts-a-tribute-to-daniel-ellsberg-at-the-national-press-club-on-national-whistleblower-appreciation-day |access-date=2024-06-23 |website=www.whistleblowersummit.com}}</ref>
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== <references>
,<ref name="Alumna Tracks">{{cite web|url=https://www.syracuse.edu/stories/rebekah-jones-covid-19-dashboard/|last=Cox|first=Jay |website=Syracuse.edu|title=Alumna Tracks the COVID-19 Outbreak|publisher=Syracuse University|date=31 March 2020|access-date=23 June 2020|url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327231604/https://www.syracuse.edu/stories/rebekah-jones-covid-19-dashboard/|archive-date=2022-03-27}}</ref><ref name="Accusations Fly">{{cite news|url=https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2020/05/21/florida-health-department-manager-rebekah-jones-dismissal-becomes-political-covid-19-data-questions/5230770002/|first1=Alessandro Marazzi|last1=Sassoon|first2=Jim|last2=Waymer|title=Accusations fly around dismissed Health Department official, but questions about COVID-19 data persist|work=Florida Today|date=21 May 2020|access-date=23 June 2020|archive-date=January 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220106095027/https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2020/05/21/florida-health-department-manager-rebekah-jones-dismissal-becomes-political-covid-19-data-questions/5230770002/|url-status=live}}</ref> <ref name="Dedicated scientist">{{cite web|url=https://www.esri.com/about/newsroom/blog/scientist-maps-florida-covid19-cases/|first1=Este|last1=Geraghty|first2=Ryan|last2=Lanclos|title=COVID-19: Dedicated Scientist in Florida Made Quick Moves to Map the Disease|website=Esri Blog|publisher=Environmental Systems Research Institute|date=20 April 2020|access-date=23 June 2020|archive-date=November 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221109215425/https://www.esri.com/about/newsroom/blog/scientist-maps-florida-covid19-cases/|url-status=live}}</ref>
</references>
==External links== {{Scholia|id=Q91218134}} {{commons category}} *[https://www.rebekahjonescampaign.com/ Rebekah Jones for Congress] campaign website {{CongLinks|votesmart=209071|fec=H2FL01233}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Rebekah D.}} Category:1989 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century American scientists Category:21st-century American women scientists Category:21st-century American geographers Category:Candidates in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections Category:Louisiana State University alumni Category:Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs alumni Category:Newhouse School of Public Communications alumni Category:Scientists from Florida Category:Scientists from Mississippi Category:American women geographers Category:Geographic information scientists Category:Florida Democrats Category:21st-century American women politicians Category:Women in Florida politics Category:Activists from Florida Category:Activists from Mississippi Category:American women data scientists Category:American data scientists Category:People from Wiggins, Mississippi