Florida
Florida officials to pay $485,000 settlement to fired FWC biologist over Charlie Kirk post after his death
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 back pay, 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.
Other workers also filed pending lawsuits over being fired over comments about Kirk’s assassination
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.
Libs of TikTok posted about Brown, and she was fired the next day, according to her lawsuit. Brown said someone then alerted Libs of TikTok about her termination only about 10 minutes after it happened and before it was made public.
In a rare instance in Tennessee, a retired police officer was jailed for 37 days over a Facebook post joking about Kirk’s assassination. Tennessee officials agreed Wednesday to pay $835,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by the man, Larry Bushart. While behind bars, Bushart lost his postretirement job and missed the birth of his granddaughter before authorities eventually dropped a felony charge against him, he said in the lawsuit.
Before her termination, Brown worked for Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for about seven years and studied shorebirds and seabirds on the panhandle, according to court documents.
Carrie McNamara, an attorney with the ACLU of Florida, called Brown’s settlement deal “a hard-won vindication” that sends a message to Florida officials that they cannot punish speech they dislike.
“The First Amendment does not disappear when someone accepts a government job,” McNamara said.
Brown’s former supervisor at the agency, Habitat and Species Conservation Director Melissa Tucker, had claimed that Brown’s post generated hundreds of formal complaints and caused significant disruption. Discovery in the case later revealed that the agency only received about 50 complaints.
U.S. District Judge Mark Walker imposed sanctions against Tucker last week for exaggerating the amount and then not correcting the record.
Want to take dinner and drinks to new heights? While Collier County may not have as many rooftop venues as larger Florida cities, the handful of elevated restaurants and bars the county features are stunning and worth visiting.
From downtown Naples views and a waterfront mangrove oasis to beautiful Gulf sunsets on Marco Island, these rooftop destinations have mastered the art of pairing scenery with food and cocktails.
Here’s three rooftop restaurants and bars in Collier County to check out this summer.
Tigress Restaurant & Rooftop Bar
Tigress is located on the seventh floor of The Perry Hotel Naples and has quickly become one of the most talked-about dining destinations since its debut a couple years ago. From its rooftop terrace, guests can take in panoramic views of the Cocohatchee River and its surrounding mangrove estuaries.
The open air rooftop bar features a huge island bar in the center of the space, inviting guests to grab a drink before dinner. There’s a few tables to dine at as well, but many guests opt to enjoy their meals inside the darker interior dining room. The interior room features a large window so the rooftop views aren’t lost.
The menu is full of delicious and modern takes on traditional Cantonese dishes, like dry-aged crown of duck with Hong Kong French toast and Mongolian barbecue pork ribs.
(12155 Tamiami Trail N., Naples; 239-423-3199; www.perryhotelnaples.com/naples-fl-hotel-dining)
Limon Rooftop Bar
Located on top of the AC Hotel Naples Fifth Avenue, Limon Rooftop Bar is one of Naples’ few elevated dining and drinking experiences. The open-air rooftop provides views of colorful sunsets and the bustling Fifth Avenue South. The views are more urban than waterfront, but Limon provides a unique dining experience regardless.
The combination of handcrafted cocktails, Mediterranean-inspired cuisine, and city views has made Limon a popular spot for locals and visitors alike. Its downtown location gives guests a great venue to enjoy a meal at before a night on the town.
(455 12th Street S., Naples; 239-944-3755; limonrooftop.com)
Tesoro JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort
Looking for unobstructed Gulf views? Make a reservation at Tesoro, JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort’s adults-only restaurant. Tesoro overlooks the Gulf and Marco Island’s white sand shoreline, giving guests beautiful waterfront views to enjoy during dinner. The rooftop terrace provides front-row seats to Southwest Florida’s most beautiful nightly display: a stunning sunset.
Enjoy Mediterranean-inspired cuisine with a unique Italian flair along with a lively weekend atmosphere with a resident DJ. Expect fresh Gulf seafood, shareable plates, and handcrafted cocktails against a beautiful beach view.
(400 S. Collier Blvd., Marco Island; 239-393-3208; tesoroatjwmarco.com)
Kendall Little is the food & dining reporter for Naples Daily News. Questions, comments, or tips? Email Kendall.Little@NaplesNews.com.
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The Florida supreme court on Wednesday allowed new US House districts drawn by Republicans to be used in the midterm elections, marking another victory for the GOP in a nationwide redistricting effort aimed at helping the party retain its slim House majority.
Attorneys for voters who sued had argued that the new congressional districts violate a state constitutional prohibition on partisan gerrymandering, and that the court should order the state to continue using the same districts as in the previous election. The supreme court, in a 6-1 decision, denied their request for a temporary injunction without ruling on the merits of the case. The judges said they lacked jurisdiction to intervene while the lawsuit gradually plays out in the lower courts.
Republicans already hold 20 of Florida’s 28 US House seats. The new voting districts signed into law by the Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, after a swift two-day special legislative session could improve the GOP’s chances of winning four additional seats this year.
The court’s decision provides some certainty for prospective congressional candidates, who face a Friday deadline to qualify for the state’s 18 August primaries.
James Uthmeier, the Republican attorney general, who defended the new districts in court, declared “complete and total victory” in a social media post.
Opponents expressed outrage while vowing to continue the court fight, even though it may stretch into the 2028 election cycle.
“The Florida supreme court’s failure to stop this brazen partisan power grab is not only an assault on democracy, but an abdication of its duty to the people of Florida,” said Genesis Robinson, executive director of Equal Ground, a community organizing group that sued.
The new districts are “a pretty clear partisan gerrymander”, said Amy Keith, executive director of Common Cause Florida. “We’re going to do everything we can to prevent this map from impacting further, future elections.”
Voting districts typically are redrawn after a census near the beginning of each decade. Florida is one of several Republican-led states that have undertaken mid-decade redistricting as part of Donald Trump’s plan to try to hold on to a slim House majority in November by reshaping district boundaries to the GOP’s advantage.
Florida’s legislature approved the new House map on 29 April – the same day the US supreme court weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minorities while striking down a majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana. Since then, several southern states have taken steps to try to eliminate minority districts that have elected Democrats.
DeSantis had called lawmakers into a special session before the high court’s ruling, but he had anticipated the eventual outcome. DeSantis’s office asserted that no racial data was used for the map he presented to the legislature. The new map, among other things, redraws a south-eastern Florida district that DeSantis’s office said was created to help elect a Black representative in an attempt to comply with the federal Voting Rights Act.
In addition to barring partisan gerrymandering, a constitutional amendment approved by Florida voters in 2010 also prohibits districts from being drawn to deny or diminish the ability of racial or language minorities to elect the representatives of their choice. It further requires districts to be compact and, where feasible, use existing political and geographic boundaries.
A 5-year-old girl died after being shot in a home in Florida City early July 10, multiple local news reported. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office is investigating the circumstances surrounding her death.
Officers with the Florida City Police Department responded to a home in the 1400 block of Northwest 1st Court at around 1:55 a.m., Angel Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, told CBS News. They found the young girl had a gunshot wound to her torso.
Under what circumstances was the girl fatally injured in Florida City?
Several people were inside the building at the time of the shooting, according to Local 10.
“We know that at the time of the shooting, there were three adults and two children, the victim who’s 5 years old, and her 4-year-old brother,” Rodriguez told Local 10. “Detectives are going to be here for quite some time, taking part of this investigation. They’re going to make sure that no stone is left unturned, and right now we’re just asking for prayers for the community.”
A police officer with Florida City transported the child and her mother to Homestead Hospital, from where she was airlifted to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, CBS News reported. She died despite efforts to save her life.
The Homicide Bureau of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office is now leading the investigation.
Where is Florida City?
Florida City is located in southern Miami-Dade County, east of Everglades National Park and south of Homestead.
Sarah Perkel is a South Florida Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network’s Florida Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
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