Top law enforcement official sues DeSantis, alleging he was fired for blowing whistle

A former top law enforcement official in Florida is accusing Gov. Ron DeSantis and his top aides of forcing him to retire after he refused to carry out orders he says were illegal or inappropriate, according to a lawsuit filed overnight.

Shane Desguin, a career employee of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, rose to become the agency's chief of staff. He alleges his retirement in November was actually a "wrongful termination" and was the result of him blowing the whistle on a host of issues, including violations of state public records laws, illegal orders to arrest demonstrators without probable cause and directives to obtain photos and personal information of migrants flown to the Sunshine State without legal justification.

"Despite his stellar work performance during his employment," the lawsuit says, Desguin "was subjected to disparate treatment, different terms and conditions of employment, and held to a different standard because he reported Defendants' malfeasance, gross misconduct and unlawful employment activities and was subject to retaliation thereafter."