05/26/2026 – Florida Fabricated Complaints to Fire a Biologist Over an Instagram Story

Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m99ZzVkFtaM

Sources:

Florida just paid a wildlife biologist $485,000 because the state fired her over a private Instagram story she posted on vacation about Charlie Kirk. The ACLU of Florida announced that Brown v. Young, the federal First Amendment lawsuit filed on behalf of former FWC biologist Brittney Brown, reached a $485,000 settlement after she was terminated over a meme reposted to her private Instagram story — ACLU of Florida

They said her post caused significant operational disruption and generated hundreds of public complaints. Brown’s former supervisor, Habitat and Species Conservation Director Melissa Tucker, claimed that Brown’s post generated hundreds of formal complaints and caused significant disruption — CBS Miami

And then discovery happened and guess what? None of it was real. They made it up. Discovery in the case later revealed that the agency only received about 50 complaints, contradicting the supervisor’s claim of hundreds of formal complaints — CBS Miami

A seven-year state employee shares one post on her personal Instagram while she’s on vacation in another state. Brown had been with the FWC for more than seven years and shared a post from the account @awhalefact to her private Instagram story while on vacation out of state — WPTV

Brittney Brown said it better than I could in her statement — the Free State of Florida only protects speech the administration agrees with. Everybody else falls in line or loses their job. Brown stated the “Free State of Florida” only provides First Amendment protections to those in favor with the current administration, while the rest are expected to fall in line or risk losing their livelihoods — WPTV

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