An attorney representing Hillsborough County has filed an appeal in the state’s Second District Court of Appeal of a ruling that could have statewide implications in solidifying protections for employees who are lawful medical marijuana patients under Florida law.
Angelo Giambrone was an EMT with Hillsborough County since 2008 who also happened to be a qualified medical marijuana patient, as he said he suffered from anxiety, insomnia, and PTSD. He was put on unpaid administrative leave in 2019 after testing positive for cannabis use following a random drug test.
In 2020 he sued the county, alleging that it was a violation of the Florida Civil Rights Act for failure to accommodate him as disabled individual; that he was wrongfully terminated because the county refused to accept his state-issued medical marijuana card as justification for his positive test results; and that the county had failed to update its Drug Free Workplace Policy pursuant to the Florida Civil Rights Act…