Shortly after Republicans took over state government, a little joke going around the Department of Environmental Protection alleged that DEP would, henceforth, stand for “Don’t Expect Protection.”

Maybe it was just an overreaction by the most strident, deep-green environmentalists in Tallahassee — probably the most tree-obsessed capital in the country — but it seemed that Gov. Jeb Bush and other GOP leaders shifted state government’s concept of natural resources. Instead of “How can we save it,” the operating principle seemed more like “How can we use it?”

In the wreckage of DEP’s plan to put golf courses, pickleball courts and a big hotel or two in state parks, the lack of protection applies not only to the tranquil beauty of Florida’s natural resources, but to tens of thousands of state employees who keep things going.

When Gov. Ron DeSantis and his top appointees decide to do something profitable to attract visitors, by destroying what people come here for, the smart career move for agency staffers is to keep their heads down and their mouths shut.

If, that is, they want to keep their jobs.

Fortunately for Florida, James Gaddis valued his duty more than his job. He’s the fired DEP cartographer who last month leaked the agency’s hurried plans for putting golf courses, pickleball courts and lodges in state parks.

Public reaction was so swift and ferocious, DeSantis ordered the whole thing back to the ol’ drawing board and insisted he knew nothing about it.

DeSantis even...

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