The cartographer fired for leaking Gov. Ron DeSantis’ plans to build golf courses and lodges in Florida state parks has not given up mapmaking.
James Gaddis, 42, was making maps for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection when he received a directive from the governor’s office: Design maps for recreational amenities in nine state parks, and keep it quiet.
After the story went public in August 2024, Gaddis was fired. A GoFundMe page for him received over $260,000 from nearly 7,000 donors. He used the money to create Ridgeline Geographic, a custom mapmaking business based in Tallahassee.
“I hate the fact that I lost my job, but it gave me the freedom to pursue this dream I’ve always had,” Gaddis said. “Now, I can make maps of anywhere in the world.”
Gaddis once mapped specific conservation lands in Florida. Now, he has mapped all seven continents and the contours of the seafloor, along with hyper-detailed maps of regions across the state. His business primarily targets teachers, academics and researchers, but also appeals to anyone who appreciates the ‘”lost art” of paper maps.
“Maps remind you how small you are in the world,” he said. “They give you a different perspective than those in the digital world.”
Whistleblower receives retribution
Gaddis said there were two main reasons for leaking the state park plans: He felt it was a “rush job,” and the environmental toll would have been catastrophic.
Those plans, spearheaded by the Oklahoma-based nonprofit Folds of Honor, placed three golf courses on over 1,000 acres of scrubland in Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound.
“With what we were asked to do, we knew no one would like this,” he said. “I kind of panicked and put everything on a flash drive.”
After he leaked the maps, state officials publicly questioned his integrity, with one former DEP employee telling local news outlets Gaddis’ actions “felt like sabotage.” Gaddis also distanced himself from friends and former colleagues at DEP, who all kept their jobs, because he feared they might be penalized as well.
After the media flurry and bipartisan backlash over the proposed “Great Outdoors Initiative,” the state recanted, and many considered the whistleblower a hero.
Aside from the GoFundMe donations, the Pelican Island Audubon Society of Indian River County honored him in 2025 with its “Special Recognition, Merit, Appreciation, and Thanks Award.”
But the story wasn’t over for Gaddis: He was unemployed and had to provide for his daughter.
That’s when he thought of Ridgeline Geographic.
From DEP cartographer to small business owner
Gaddis noticed there was a hole in the market for topographic maps, especially volcanic formations and the seafloor.
He started by mapping Australia, because it was the smallest continent, he said. Then he expanded outward, eventually making a world map in this style.
“I studied each nook and cranny of the world,” he said. “I got to study what not many people have — finding weird little things like, ‘Where is the Richardson Seamount?’ ” It’s an underwater volcano off the coast of South Africa.
His maps are dense with labels — every small city and mountain range gets a label positioned and scaled by hand, a level of detail he said sets his work apart.
Many of his GoFundMe donors have become customers, buying maps and asking him to sign them.
“I’m still in shock that all of that happened and I received that level of support,” he said.
Now, Gaddis plans to grow the business by reaching out to school districts across the country.
Gaddis said he sees both of his roles the same way, whether as a whistleblower or a mapmaker: helping others understand the world around them.
“Everything worked out exactly how it should have,” he said.
Jack Lemnus is a TCPalm enterprise reporter. Contact him at jack.lemnus@tcpalm.com, 772-409-1345, or follow him on X @JackLemnus.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: How Florida DEP whistleblower used $260K GoFundMe money after firing
Reporting by Jack Lemnus, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jack Lemnus, Treasure Coast Newspapers | USA TODAY Network
