Orange County battalion chief fired for not enforcing vaccine mandate files whistleblower lawsuit

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The former Orange County firefighter who was fired after he refused to follow the county’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement is taking his fight to court.

Former Orange County Battalion Chief Stephen Davis filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the county and is asking a judge to get him his job back.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

Davis said the lawsuit is to fight what he says was retaliation for doing what he thought was right for his fellow firefighters.

The Florida Whistle-Blower’s Act says that agencies can’t retaliate against an employee who reports wrongdoing at that agency.

READ: Orange County battalion chief fired for not enforcing vaccine mandate won’t get his job back

That’s what Davis said happened to him in Orange County

“I had been trying to tell them what they are doing is incorrect. And there is a lot of unethical misconduct and I brought this to the attention of senior leadership,” Davis said.

READ: Orange County battalion chief fired for not enforcing vaccine mandate defends his decision

Davis was fired in October for failure to follow a direct order. That order was to write up firefighters who violated the county’s vaccine mandate, but Davis said he didn’t do that because he said some of the firefighters on his had filed exemptions.

The county disputes those claims saying Davis is anti-vaxer and stood on principle and denied his grievance to get his job back because they said none of the folks on his list had exemptions.

READ: Orange County battalion chief fired for failing to enforce vaccine mandate

Davis said he hopes the lawsuit will help tell the whole story.

Orange County officials said they would not comment on pending litigation.

READ: ‘Totally inappropriate’: DeSantis pushes back after Orange County battalion chief fired

You can read the lawsuit below:

Video: Orange County battalion chief fired for not enforcing vaccine mandate won’t get his job back A former Orange County battalion chief fired for not enforcing the county’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate will not get his job back, a board ruled on Monday. (Shannon Butler, WFTV.com)

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

©2022 Cox Media Group