Florida to Pay Ex Biologist $485,000 After Instagram Meme Dismissal

Florida officials have agreed to pay a former state biologist $485,000 to settle a lawsuit over her firing after she reposted a meme on her private Instagram account that mocked conservative activist Charlie Kirk following his death. Brittney Brown, who worked for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for about seven years, signed the settlement agreement on Thursday. The deal includes $235,000 for loss of her job, $40,000 in back pay, and $210,000 to cover her legal fees, all funded by state taxpayers. As part of the settlement, Brown agreed not to seek future employment with the agency.

Brown was fired in September after she reposted a satirical message on her personal Instagram account that said, “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.” The post was shared by conservative social media accounts, including Libs of TikTok, which has millions of followers. According to Brown’s lawsuit, she was fired the next day. She alleged that someone alerted the account about her termination about 10...