Florida officials will pay nearly half a million dollars to a biologist who was fired by a state agency for criticizing conservative activist Charlie Kirk on social media after his death.

The state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission fired biologist Brittney Brown in September after she reposted a meme on her personal Instagram account that claimed Kirk wouldn’t care about children being shot in their classrooms. She filed a lawsuit seeking reinstatement, saying she struggled to find other work because the state agency is the regulatory body for her research specialization in bird conservation.

Brown on Thursday signed a $485,000 settlement agreement with agency directors that covers backpay, damages and attorney costs. She agreed as part of the deal to not seek future employment at the agency.

Fish and Wildlife officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Brown was among a wave of workers in both the public and private sector who lost their jobs over comments about Kirk’s assassination on a Utah university campus. Lawsuits are pending over many of those firings.

Before his death, Kirk and the organization he founded, Turning Point USA, galvanized the conservative youth vote to help President Donald Trump win a second term.

Kirk’s supporters combed social media after the Sept. 10 shooting for posts they viewed as celebrating his death. Influencers like Laura Loomer pledged to ruin the careers of people who made light of the killing, and the conservative social media account Libs of TikTok shared the identities and workplaces of many who posted with its audience of millions.

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[–] 109 points 5 months ago (9 children)

I hope the little fucker is rotting in hell.

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  • [–] 20 points 5 months ago (3 children)

    Wow, an intro philosophy course would have cleared that up for him, but he preferred loud ignorance and brought about his own demise.

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  • [–] 28 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

    He dropped out of college for a reason, and I’m guessing you’re right that he preferred his loud ignorance

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  • [–] 4 points 5 months ago (2 children)

    Context tho! He was simply saying that people are using words as WEAPONS! /s

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  • [–] 52 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    That settlement isn't big enough and the people responsible for the firing aren't punished enough.

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  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago

    The people responsible for the firing weren't punished at all. Florida tax payers were. In a functional democracy this would lead to the people responsible for the firing to be held accountable, but... well....

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  • [–] 21 points 5 months ago

    One of my friends was fired at work for similar. I was pissed when I found out why he had suddenly disappeared. It wouldn't have surprised me if the management was happy to get rid of an openly gay man by way of saying he was associating the company with political comments.

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