Former FWC employee seeks reinstatement after firing over Charlie Kirk social media post

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) - A federal judge heard arguments Monday morning in the case of a former Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission employee seeking reinstatement after being fired for sharing a social media post about Charlie Kirk’s death.

Brittney Brown, a biologist who worked at the Tyndall Air Force Base Critical Wildlife Area, was terminated after sharing a post from a parody account that said whales weren’t saddened by Kirk’s death.

Brown shared the post on her private Instagram account in September while on vacation. The post was later shared and went viral, leading to her termination shortly after.

FWC said on social media that making light of Charlie Kirk’s death didn’t align with the state agency’s values.

Gary Edinger, Brown’s lawyer, said his client’s social media post should not have led to her termination.

“We live in a world where things go viral over the internet, people hit the like button or dislike button. That’s what happened here. A couple of hundred people maybe followed ‘Libs of TikTok’s’ lead, complained about it, and in America, that’s not supposed to lead to a government firing,” Edinger said.

Brown is claiming the state violated her freedom of speech when she was fired over the post on her private account.

In addition to seeking reinstatement, Brown is asking the judge to award her back pay.

FWC and the governor’s office did not respond to requests for comment about the case.

The judge will rule on the case at a later date.