Rebekah Jones worked her way through college and was the first in her family to graduate. She became a scientist focused on furthering understanding of climate and disasters after one-too-many storms hit home. Both she and her husband research public health and environmental issues for the state of Florida. During the COVID-10 pandemic, Jones managed the Florida Department of Health’s public COVID-19 data and surveillance systems; her refusal to play political games and agree with policies that disregarded the health and safety of Floridians got her fired.