Woman claimed 'gross misconduct,' filed whistle-blower suit over concealed gun permits
TALLAHASSEE - A former supervisor in Adam Putnam’s Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services sued the agency in 2013, claiming “gross misconduct” in the handling of gun permit applications and that quotas for approving concealed weapon permits “guaranteed abuse,” according to documents reviewed by the Tampa Bay Times.
In a whistle-blower lawsuit filed in a Leon County circuit court , the former chief of the Bureau of License Issuance, Xenia Bailey, said she was threatened with retaliation for saying workers were deficient in processing licensing applications, and that her bosses told her she “worked for the NRA [National Rifle Association].”
The agency denied most of Bailey’s allegations in court filings. But in a settlement signed in 2016, the agency agreed to pay $30,000, without admitting wrongdoing, including a $10,000 lump sum payment to Bailey and $20,000 for her attorney’s fees and costs.
The agency’s elected leader, Putnam, announced his bid for governor six months after the settlement was reached.
Read more: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article214933360.html
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