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Federal Investigators say the Florida Department of Elder Affairs is violating the Older Americans Act. And they�re giving the department 30 days to come up with a plan to fix their problems. As Whitney Ray tells us, those problems began when the state forced the state�s nursing home watchdog to resign.

It all began with a seemingly simple question. �Who owns the nursing homes?�

But someone didn�t want Brian Lee, the state�s former Long Term Care Ombudsman to know the answer. That was in January, by February, Lee was unemployed. Forced out, he says, for doing his job.

�February 7th, I got a phone call from my boss, I was out on sick leave, asking that I submit my resignation or I would be fired,� said Lee.

Lee�s job was to uncover corruption and neglect in Florida�s nursing homes, overseeing volunteers who listen to resident�s complaints and report their findings.

But once Lee, a 13 year veteran, began asking who owned the nursing homes he was in charge of investigating, he lost favor with his bosses. The governor�s office told the department it was time for him to go.

Now federal investigators are chastising the state. They issued a reporting claiming the state violated the Older Americans Act. Although Lee�s termination was a part of the report, the violation comes from keeping things from the media and interfering with volunteers who serve as advocates for nursing home residents.

�There should be no interference while the Ombudsman is being a watchdog and the report shows there was unlawful interference with the program,�

Lee sees the report as a small victory for patients. He�s has also filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the state.

A spokesperson for the Department of Elder Affairs called the report vague and said it lacks specific citations. They�re asking for the Federal Administration on Aging to clarify its report.