TALLAHASSEE – A former Florida administrator has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), claiming that he was forced to retire for exposing the defendants’ “illegal practices.”

Officials at the Governor’s Office, however, reject the allegations in the state lawsuit and point to an internal investigation that is critical of plaintiff Shane Desguin’s employment record and to findings of misconduct.

Desguin, who held the position of FDLE chief of staff at the time of his termination on Nov. 17 of last year, filed the lawsuit June 19 in the Second Judicial Circuit Court in Leon County. Desguin is seeking general and compensatory damages and economic losses in the litigation, which was brought under the Florida Whistleblower Act.