Ex-firefighter sues Zephyrhills department

A former Zephyrhills firefighter made good on a year-old promise and sued his former employer Tuesday in Pasco Circuit Court.

Shawn Baptist, a 16-year veteran of the fire department, was let go in April 2009 for violating the city's drug and alcohol policy.

In his lawsuit, Baptist contends Fire Chief Keith Williams and City Manager Steve Spina violated his privacy rights when they told media outlets that he was fired because he failed a random drug test.

The lawsuit also alleges Spina improperly disclosed that Baptist had failed a drug test in 2002. The complaint cites a Florida law that says drug test results are confidential.

Baptist, 42, said the revelations have hindered his search for another job.

"If they wanted to make a comment that I was terminated, that's one thing," he said today. "But to say why, that's against federal and state law."

Spina said any statements he made about Baptist's firing were part of doing city business.

"When you are a public safety officer and you get fired for a certain reason, that's the public's business," Spina said. "You know that going into it."

Williams wrote in the notice of termination that Baptist violated the city's drug policy in April 2002 and was disciplined at the time. Baptist's personnel file contained no documentation of the incident.

Spina said the records related to the 2002 violation were in Baptist's medical file, which are not open to the public. The city's policy allows employees who voluntarily admit a drug violation to request treatment through the employee assistance program and to return to work after completing rehabilitation.

The policy allows for no such flexibility for an employee's second offense.

Baptist, who is still head of the local firefighters union, hasn't given up on regaining his job. An arbitration hearing was held in January but a ruling has not been made.