2. Florida made things personal

What began as the simple firing of a state employee who “exhibited a repeated course of insubordination” has spiraled into a personal war between Gov. Ron DeSantis and Rebekah Jones, a former state geospatial data employee who’s become something of a martyr for a segment of the open-data movement. Since being fired for what she said was her refusal to alter coronavirus statistics to support DeSantis’ desire to reopen more of the Florida economy, Jones has become a national figure, creating a dashboard that competes with the state’s official COVID-19 website. She continues to defend herself vehemently as the state has pursued a criminal investigation against her, which included a police raid of her home in December and Jones turning herself in for arrest last month.