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Florida will pay nearly half a million dollars to a biologist to settle a\u00a0free speech lawsuit<\/a>\u00a0after she was canned from her state job for a social media post criticizing Charlie Kirk after he was shot to death. It’s the\u00a0latest payout<\/a>\u00a0over similar claims for firings around the country in the wake of the conservative activist’s killing.<\/p>\n Brittany Brown, who worked for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, filed a lawsuit after she was fired in September 2025, just days after Kirk was slain while speaking at a Utah college by\u00a0accused gunman Tyler Robinson<\/a>.<\/p>\n In a settlement agreement signed May 21, Brown will receive $485,000. The amount includes $235,000 to cover the loss of her job and $40,000 in backpay. She also received $210,000 to cover attorney fees and costs,\u00a0reported<\/a>\u00a0the USA TODAY Network in Florida.<\/p>\n Brown’s claim was the first known lawsuit in Florida over a state worker facing disciplinary action for an online response to Kirk\u2019s killing. Dozens of people, including teachers, professors, nurses, lawyers, and other professionals, were fired or faced disciplinary actions for posts they made after the Sept. 10 shooting. They included employees at public universities or state government jobs, giving them broader free speech protections.<\/p>\n Since then, many have\u00a0filed lawsuits<\/a>,\u00a0reclaimed their jobs<\/a>\u00a0or received payouts from their employers.<\/p>\n Brown lost her job on Sept. 15, 2025, after she reposted another account’s post to her private Instagram story.<\/p>\n The post that got Brown in hot water read: “the whales are deeply saddened to learn of the shooting of charlie kirk, haha just kidding, they care exactly as much as charlie kirk cared about children being shot in their classrooms, which is to say, not at all.”<\/p>\n The post was condemned and shared widely by conservative accounts on social media, including\u00a0LibsofTiktok<\/a>, which also called for Brown’s firing. At the time, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Brown’s post “made light” of Kirk’s killing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nFlorida biologist fired after post about Charlie Kirk, whales<\/h2>\n