Florida officials agree to pay $485,000 to a biologist who was fired from a state job after a social media post criticizing conservative activist Charlie Kirk. According to reports, Brittney Brown worked for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). She was dismissed in September after she reposted a meme on her personal Instagram account following Kirk’s shooting death. The meme argued that Kirk would not care about children being shot in classrooms.
Brown filed a lawsuit seeking reinstatement, contending that her firing harmed her ability to find employment because the FWC is the regulatory agency connected to her area of research in bird conservation. The settlements described by the outlets resolve the dispute without reinstating her, with the state set to pay nearly half a million dollars. The reports summarize the case as involving state employment action tied to a personal social media repost criticizing Kirk after his death.
