A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologist fired in September over a Charlie Kirk post has secured a settlement from the state.
The ACLU of Florida announced today that Brittney Brown will be awarded a $485,000 settlement in the case Brown v. Young. The ACLU says FWC will pay Brown $275,000, including $40,000 in back wages and $235,000 in compensatory damages, as well as $210,000 in attorney fees and costs.
Brown, who'd been with the FWC for more than seven years, shared a post from the account @awhalefact to her private Instagram story while on vacation out of state, following the death of Kirk on Sept. 10.
State
'Unconstitutional': Fired Florida wildlife biologist sues over Charlie Kirk post
The post gained attention after far-right social media account Libs of TikTok called it out, and Brown was fired shortly after that. She filed a federal lawsuit against FWC Executive Director Roger Young and Division Director Melissa Tucker.
"She was completely shocked. None of this has anything to do with her job," ACLU attorney Carrie McNamara told WPTV in October, explaining that as a state agency, FWC violated Brown's constitutional rights.
The ACLU says Brown was terminated "after state officials falsely claimed her private post caused significant operational disruption and generated hundreds of public complaints. Discovery in the case revealed those claims to be fabricated."
"What happened to Brittney was not an isolated incident," McNamara said Thursday. "It reflects a broader and deeply troubling pattern of state officials in Florida using the power of government employment to punish speech they dislike and silence voices they find inconvenient."
There were multiple suspensions and threats of termination across Florida and beyond after Kirk's death.
Brown said this in a statement about the settlement: "All I wanted was my job back. I see no leaders amongst FWC ‘leadership,’ but that’s to be expected when a state agency becomes the governor’s personal puppet show. The ‘Free State of Florida’ only provides First Amendment protections to those in favor with the current administration, while the rest of us are expected to fall in line or risk losing our livelihoods."
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