A former employee of a member of the Florida House of Representatives has said he was retaliated against after he reported the lawmaker’s unlawful employment practices.
Daniel Jesus Lopez filed his complaint April 2 in Osceola County Circuit Court against the Florida House of Representatives and Representative Paula Stark, a Republican who represents the 47th District. She was first elected in 2022 and reelected in 2024.
Lopez says he was a member of a protected class because of his submission of grievance reporting and disclosing Stark’s “malfeasance, misfeasance and/or gross misconduct.” He says he was retaliated against as a protected whistleblower.
According to the complaint, Lopez began working for Stark on March 11, 2024, and was a District Aide when he was fired May 8. He says the retaliation against him continued until late October 2024 and even after.
He says he was subjected to disparate treatment, different terms and conditions of employment and was held to a different standard because he reported Stark’s unlawful employment activities. He says Stark, HR Director Pamela Greene and Campaign Manager Joel Davis all mistreated and retaliated against him.
Days after he began working for Stark, Lopez says he received an email forwarded to him originally from Fran Keyes with the Office of Legislative Services saying the Intra District Accounting report was behind. It included various expenses that had been improperly logged, many of them being charges marked solely as “temp,” when that description was unacceptable. The email was sent to Lopez and Legislative Aide Joshua Widhalm, who was fired by Stark on March 22, 2024.
Subsequently, Lopez contacted the House personnel office and told an employee there he didn’t feel Stark was allowing him to do his job properly regarding the IDA report. He also sent Stark an email March 25, 2024, reminding her of the IDA filing deadline of April 15. He says Stark verbally acknowledged it to him.
On April 16, 2024, Lopez says he emailed Stark again to inform her the deadline had been missed, which resulted in the account being frozen. That meant even basic expenses such as office rent would not be paid.
Lopez also raised concerns about Kathy Pierson, who was paid with funds from the Friends of Paula Stark political action committee but still participated in official office operations, thus creating “an improper overlap between the political campaign and the public office.”
On April 17, 2024, Lopez called House Speaker Renner’s office to address that issue. And on May 3, 2024, he emailed Stark and the HR director for the Personnel Department of the House about expense account issues.
On May 8, 2024, Stark met with Lopez and offered him the chance to resign or to be terminated. When he refused to resign, he was told he was “not a good fit” for the administration. Stark told him she didn’t like Lopez giving her “unsolicited advice.”
On October 6, Stark told The Orlando Sentinel she “blames the office account problems on aides she has since fired,” referring in part to Lopez. He says she also insinuated Lopez was responsible for the financial issues in her office.
The Sentinel article said Stark provided “unacceptable” descriptions on reports listing expenses totaling more than $7,000 and did not file reports for six months in 2023, according to an email from a legislative staffer sent to Stark in March.
“Two former aides to Stark say they alerted Florida House staff members to issues with her office account earlier this year. Both were later fired,” the Sentinel reported.
It also quoted Widhalm.
“I was becoming very uncomfortable because it appeared to be either gross negligence or at worst it appeared to have all of the trappings of misappropriation of funds,” Widhalm said.
Lopez says he has been unable to find new employment because Stark placed public blame on her aides. He accuses the House of public whistleblower retaliation and Stark of First Amendment retaliation.
He seeks a judgment against defendants for general damages, compensatory damages and economic loss, attorney fees, court costs and other relief.
Lopez is being represented by Marie A. Mattox of Tallahassee.
Osceola County Circuit Court case number 25-CA-00549