Greg Hearing and Matthew Bowles Author Article for The Florida Bar Journal

Tampa, Fla. – November 1, 2020 – Labor and employment attorneys Gregory A. Hearing and Matthew A. Bowles, of GrayRobinson’s Tampa law firm office, authored the article, "Social Media and the Progressive Limitations on Public Sector Employees’ First Amendment Right to Free Speech," published in Volume 94, No. 6 of The Florida Bar Journal’s November/December 2020 issue. In the article, Hearing and Bowles address the precarious position government employees are placed in if one of their social media posts goes viral — as speech that may have once been considered protected under the First Amendment was only protected because the speech was not made in a public forum and it was shared with only a few individuals at the most. The article reads, "A common misconception among most U.S. citizens and many private-sector employees is that the First Amendment applies to all speech."