Florida COVID-19 Data

COVID-19 data reported by the Florida Department of Health has been both praised by the White House and criticized by a data scientist who claims she was fired for refusing to manipulate data. This page provides occasional updates on stories surrounding Florida's COVID-19 Dashboard. | Return to the main coronavirus news page.

Criminal Stalking Case Against Fired Fla. Health Data Scientist To Drag Into August

By Stephany Matat - Fresh Take Florida • Jul 23, 2020
Rebekah Jones is pictured on MSNBC.
MSNBC / Via Fresh Take Florida

A misdemeanor criminal stalking case against the self-described whistleblower at the center of a politically charged dispute over Florida’s COVID-19 disclosures will continue into August, a circuit judge in Tallahassee ruled Wednesday.

FSCJ Data Scientist Says The Way Fla. Presents COVID-19 Numbers Is Misleading

By • Jun 16, 2020
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, holds up a graph concerning COVID-19 cases in Florida as he speaks about opening businesses.
John Raoux / Associated Press

A Jacksonville-based data scientist says the way Florida presents COVID-19 data to the public is misleading, and he worries it’s being done deliberately to help support efforts to reopen the state.

DeSantis Changes His Tone Over Ousted DOH COVID Researcher

By Lynn Hatter • May 21, 2020

Governor Ron DeSantis says the woman ousted from the Florida Department of Health over what the state says was “insubordination” was not the person who designed the state’s COVID-19 database.

That runs counter to a feature on Rebekah Jones out of Syracuse University, her alma mater, published earlier this year.

Florida Ousts Top COVID-19 Data Scientist

By • May 19, 2020

Update at 8:51 p.m. ET

A scientist who created a dashboard for monitoring Florida's rising number of COVID-19 cases said she's been fired for refusing to manipulate the data.