Florida Pays Biologist Brittney Brown $485,000 After Firing Over Charlie Kirk Instagram Post
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 22
Florida Pays Biologist Brittney Brown $485,000 After Firing Over Charlie Kirk Instagram Post
6 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 22
$485,000 will go to Brittney Brown under a settlement with Florida wildlife officials after the agency fired her in September over an Instagram repost about slain activist Charlie Kirk.
The deal covers back pay, damages and legal fees, while barring Brown from seeking future work at the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, where she had spent about seven years studying shorebirds and seabirds.
Brown's lawsuit said the firing crippled her job prospects because FWC regulates her bird-conservation specialty; Libs of TikTok highlighted her post, and she was dismissed the next day.
Court discovery undercut the agency's defense that Brown caused major disruption: a supervisor cited hundreds of complaints, but records showed about 50, and a federal judge sanctioned the supervisor for not correcting that claim.
The payout adds to a broader legal reckoning over punishments tied to reactions to Kirk's September assassination, including an $835,000 Tennessee settlement this week for a retired officer jailed over a Facebook joke.
How did a biologist’s social media post result in a nearly half-million-dollar government payout?
Why was a state official personally sanctioned by a judge in this free speech lawsuit?
What makes an employee's online speech legally protected from government employer retaliation?
Florida Pays $485,000 Settlement After Firing Biologist Over Satirical Meme: A Landmark Free Speech Case
Overview
In September 2025, Brittney Brown, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologist, shared a satirical meme on her personal Instagram account that humorously commented on the shooting of Charlie Kirk. Although her post had no connection to her job and did not identify her as a state employee, the conservative account 'Libs of TikTok' amplified the post and explicitly called for her firing. Within hours, the FWC announced it was taking immediate action regarding her employment, leading to Brown’s swift termination. This incident sparked a major legal battle over free speech rights for public employees, resulting in a significant settlement and national attention.