Civil Rights Lawyers Secure $485,000 Settlement for FWC Biologist Fired Over Charlie Kirk Social Media Post

TALLAHASSEE, FL – The ACLU of Florida announced today that Brown v. Young, the federal First Amendment lawsuit filed on behalf of former Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologist Brittney Brown, has reached a $485,000 settlement.

Florida officials have agreed to resolve Brown’s claims that FWC Executive Director Roger Young and Habitat and Species Conservation Director Melissa Tucker violated her First Amendment rights when they terminated her employment over a meme she reposted to her private Instagram story following the death of conservative political commentator and self-described free speech advocate Charlie Kirk.

Brown, a skilled biologist who dedicated more than seven years of her career to protecting and preserving Florida’s natural resources, was fired in 2025 after state officials falsely claimed her private post caused significant operational disruption and generated hundreds of public complaints. Discovery in the case revealed those claims to be fabricated. In May 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida entered an order imposing sanctions on an FWC official who submitted a false affidavit and on the law firm of Lawson Huck Gonzalez for engaging in vexatious litigation on behalf of the state. A trial had been scheduled for June 2026.

Under the terms of the settlement, FWC will pay Brown $275,000 – including $40,000 in back wages and $235,000 in compensatory damages – plus $210,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs. FWC also agreed to provide Brown a neutral reference for future employment inquiries and to permit her to interact with FWC staff and resources on the same basis as any other external partner or volunteer, preserving her ability to continue her conservation work through partner organizations.

The settlement resolves all claims in the lawsuit.

In response, Brittney Brown, the plaintiff in the case, stated: “All I wanted was my job back. I see no leaders amongst FWC ‘leadership,’ but that’s to be expected when a state agency becomes the governor’s personal puppet show. The ‘Free State of Florida’ only provides First Amendment protections to those in favor with the current administration, while the rest of us are expected to fall in line or risk losing our livelihoods. FWC would rather send an official to make a fraudulent, defamatory statement in federal court than admit any wrongdoing. This administration would rather spend Floridians’ tax dollars to line the pockets of the governor’s chosen law firms than admit they made a poor, politically motivated decision. Someone made sure to alert Libs of Tik Tok that FWC had fired me — ten minutes after meeting with me and well before communicating with the public. These concerning practices underscore the extent to which political pressure from Tallahassee is influencing our state agencies. FWC employees deserve better, and so do Floridians.”

Bacardi Jackson, Executive Director of the ACLU of Florida, responded: “The First Amendment is not a privilege the government grants to those who speak in ways it approves of – it is a right that belongs to every person in this country, including every public employee who shows up to serve their community. Florida has spent years telling its public employees that their rights stop at the agency door. Brittney Brown refused to accept this false premise. She expressed a private thought on a private account, and the State of Florida destroyed her career for it – then lied in federal court to cover it up. That is not governance; that is retaliation. Brittney fought back when it would have been easier to walk away, and today we celebrate that courage. This settlement makes clear that there is a cost for the government’s abuse of power, and it should put every state agency in Florida on notice: we see you, we are litigating, and the First Amendment is not negotiable on our watch.”

Carrie McNamara, staff attorney of the ACLU of Florida, stated: “This settlement is a hard-won vindication for Brittney Brown and a clear message to state officials across Florida: you cannot fire public employees for expressing constitutionally protected views on their own time, on their own accounts, about matters of public concern. The First Amendment does not disappear when someone accepts a government job, and government employers cannot succumb to manufactured outrage on social media when it suits them. What happened to Brittney was not an isolated incident. It reflects a broader and deeply troubling pattern of state officials in Florida using the power of government employment to punish speech they dislike and silence voices they find inconvenient. We are proud to stand with her in this fight, and we will continue fighting for every Floridian who faces retaliation for exercising their constitutional freedoms.”

Gary S. Edinger of Benjamin, Aaronson, Edinger & Patanzo, P.A., co-counsel for Brittney Brown added: “From the beginning, the state’s case rested on a foundation that could not withstand scrutiny – and the federal court saw through it at every turn. They submitted false claims about disruption that never occurred, and when confronted with the truth, they doubled down. This settlement is the result of Brittney Brown’s courage and her refusal to accept that the government gets to decide which opinions its employees are allowed to hold. We hope Florida is paying close attention.”

Brown was represented by the ACLU of Florida and the law firm of Benjamin, Aaronson, Edinger & Patanzo. The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida in September 2025.

The settlement can be read below.