CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — The Clay County School Board meeting on Thursday night was filled with concerned parents, students, and community faith leaders. Many called for the resignation of Robert Alvero, a new board member and Jacksonville firefighter, after a video surfaced online showing him making contentious statements about Black people.

“Words carry weight and their impact is significant,” stated Jacob Gutierrez, a sophomore at Fleming Island High School, addressing the board.

A woman emphasized, “Clay County deserves superior representation. Our students merit better.”

“We want you to step down,” declared another community member. “Your departure is necessary for the well-being of our community.”

Outside the meeting, protesters chanted, “Alvero’s got to go,” as pushback over the video continued to grow.

In the video, which has since been deleted, Alvero said he has “had 80% more negative experience with the African American community in this country than with white people.”

He went on to say that about 20% of the Black people he has met are “good decent people,” while claiming the “other 80%” are being “nasty,” “rude,” and “problematic.”

Those remarks drew sharp condemnation from community members, who said the comments go far beyond a personal opinion.

“Those words are not merely offensive, they are dangerous,” one speaker said. “They are dangerous because they do not exist in a vacuum. They land in a school system that serves real children with real identities.”

Alvero previously issued a written apology for the video, though many in the room said it fell short and called for him to step down. A small number of attendees defended him, with one supporter saying, “That’s his opinion, it’s not a popular one.”

Alvero has since hired Lake County attorney Anthony Sabatini, who said in a statement that lawsuits are being drafted and that “the only people who should be resigning are the cowards criticizing him for exercising his First Amendment right to free speech.”

Gutierrez told the board he would not stay silent.

“I’m not going to let them walk over us,” he said. “I’m not going to let this happen. We all are the same. We are all equal. Our color should not matter.”

Superintendent David Broskie publicly distanced the district from Alvero’s comments.

“The comments that brought many of you here tonight don’t reflect the mission or values”, he said.

Alvero spoke briefly at the end of the meeting, saying, “I have already addressed the false accusations against me,” and adding that “the school board meeting is not a proper forum to discuss political matters or personal matters. We should be focused solely on the operation of our school system.”

He did not further explain his remarks from the video.

Under Florida law, only the governor has the authority to remove an elected school board member from office. As of late Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office had not responded to a request for comment on the situation.