Global InformationRebekah Jones information
Rebekah Jones | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | July 25, 1989[1][2] Windber, Pennsylvania, U.S.[3] |
| Education | Syracuse University (BS) Louisiana State University (MS) Florida State University |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Geography |
| Institutions | Louisiana State University Florida State University |
| Thesis | 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 | geojones |
Rebekah Jones (born July 25, 1989) is an American geographer, data scientist,[a] and activist. She is known for her COVID-19 activism in Florida, allegations against the Florida Department of Health and Ron DeSantis, an unsubstantiated whistleblower complaint after being fired, and several legal issues.
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 for sharing the department's work online without authorization after being repeatedly reprimanded. 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 campaign earnings amounting to 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.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
FT Mississippiwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Rebekah Jones [@GeoRebekah] (July 25, 2023). "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!!!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Rebekah Jones". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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Mansoorwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "What is Spatial Data Science?". GISGeography.
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