President Donald Trump has successfully made his campaign pledge to “dismantle the deep nation” with his delegation and resignation programme to offices designed to reduce the class of the federal workforce. He oversaw much of his rage at his federal office in Washington, D.C., and promised to get some out of the country’s capital.
However, four-fifths of federal workers already live outside the DC area. Approximately 94,000 people call Florida home. At least 32,000 federal employees live in Tampa Bay, according to the total membership of the main union, the United States Government Employees Federation.
They work at key resources during the storm season, such as Miami’s National Hurricane Center and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. They work at Veterans Hospital and lead the Transportation Security Management Line at Tampa International Airport. They process social security checks and tax documents at the Internal Revenue Service.
By last week, about 2.4 million workers had bought out of the approximately 2.4 million workers, according to Reuters. These deviations represent less than 3% of the federal workforce. It is unclear how many people live in Florida.
The federal judge has extended a temporary suspension of this week’s program to consider whether to stop it indefinitely amid legal challenges from trade unions.
Three workers based in Tampa Bay and Central Florida spoke with the Tampa Bay Times anonymously due to concerns that their work would be at risk. They said they were willing to leave – but they expect scenarios where they were fired or fired after the shopping deadline has passed. According to CNN, the Trump administration plans to “clear the layoffs.”
One research scientist from the Tampa Bay US Geological Survey is staging a parking conversation with a colleague. They are considering how to store public access to coastal erosion and water level data if expelled. That data will help counties and cities weigh the risks of flooding, she said.
“Moorings and instrumentation are currently being deployed in the ocean, and we are collecting data and collecting samples,” she said. “What if we’re not there?”
Others have turned to encrypted platforms like Signal and started talking among themselves. Hundreds of miles from the White House, workers fear one wrong word through official channels that mention climate change.
“I lost a lot of weight. I’m not eating and I’m not sleeping,” said a US Geological Survey Scientist. Regarding future layoffs, “I don’t know who is who. I don’t know why or when.”
How does this compare to other federal layoffs?
Signs of anomalies were everywhere when federal workers in Florida were offered to resign, according to two national marine and atmospheric administration employees interviewed by The Times.
There was a subtle threat – the email said there was no guarantee that employees would not lose their jobs after the acquisition deadline. The message came hours after the government-wide HR email address. The message looked like spam, workers said.
“Nothing has come through our usual chain of command,” said the National Marine and Atmospheric Management Employee based in central Florida. “What they’re doing is promoting more anxiety, and part of me feels that’s the point.”
The US Government Employee Federation filed a lawsuit earlier this month to assert that the offer to buy is illegal to promise employees’ salaries beyond March 14, when government funds expired. I did. According to the union, there is no guarantee that employees will receive payments beyond that date.
According to US Geological Survey Scientists, it’s normal for a new administration to temporarily stall employment. And past presidents like Bill Clinton have offered federal workers a massive acquisition.
However, the Clinton acquisition proposal took place for more than a year, giving workers and agents time to prepare rather than days, said Tatishka Thomas, who heads the Southeastern Federal Employees Union.
He also finds it difficult to fly under the radar during Trump’s second term, said another national marine and atmospheric administration employee who is a fisheries scientist based in Tampa Bay. A conservative blueprint to overhaul the federal government, Project 2025 is calling for the disbandment of agencies that will help maintain fish populations, among other roles, to lead the national weather service.
What does a shrinking federal workforce mean for Florida?
The largest federal divisions in Florida are Veterans, the Department of Defense and the Department of Road Security, Thomas said. For example, Veterans Hospitals in Hillsboro and Pinellas Counties employ around 11,000 people. McDill Air Force Base in Tampa employs more than 1,300 civilians.
Some of the services that many Floridians rely on can suffer from less personnel, Thomas said. The quality of care at veteran hospitals may be reduced or there may be delays in receiving benefits for retirees.
Some federal workers fear that being fired would mean personally to them in areas like Tampa Bay where the cost of living is high. If the Trump administration is moving forward with a massive layoff, thousands of people can seek help from the state’s tense unemployment system.
A US Geological Survey Scientist who lost her job said, “It would mean that a rather serious life will have to be changed almost immediately.”
Three federal workers interviewed by The Times said public access to environmental science and Floridian data is also under threat. The Trump administration has already purged climate data from government websites and closed its environmental offices.
The federal grant freeze, although temporarily suspended, could disrupt research at major centers like the University of South Florida, US Geological Survey Scientists said.
What is tension among national marine and atmospheric fisheries scientists is that they may not have instantaneous fallout. Instead, the responses of research projects and agencies may be slower, making it difficult to track negative effects.
Fisheries scientists said his work with data will inform regulations affecting two coasts, including Florida’s $300 million fisheries, and at least 12 states.
“Many of our work is invisible.”
