Central Florida Workers Encounter Backlash for Posts on Charlie Kirk’s Passing

What can you post on social media without risking your job? The question has gained urgency after several employees in Central Florida faced investigations and terminations linked to posts about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Four teachers from Osceola County School District are under investigation for social media content referencing Kirk’s death last week during an event at Utah Valley University.

Additionally, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation employee was fired over the weekend for sharing a post that made light of Kirk’s passing.

Dr. Kimberly Voss, a University of Central Florida Mass Media Law professor, explained the complexity of free speech on social media amid these consequences.

[BELOW: Florida teachers warned after Charlie Kirk assassination]

“You have no privacy in public. Anything that you do that anyone else can see, you have no privacy. And social media, by its definition, is social,” Voss said.

While the First Amendment protects freedom of speech, Voss cautioned that it does not guarantee immunity from employer discipline.

“Under the First Amendment, you can post on social media, but you need to think about the consequences,” she said. “And what does that mean when you do that?”

Since the Osceola teachers are government employees, their cases raise thorny legal issues. Voss noted that private employers have more leeway to discipline employees without First Amendment protections, which apply only to government action.

Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association, emphasized due process for educators facing such scrutiny. He issued a statement asserting that the union will not allow teachers to be “tried in court without the proper due process.”

This debate over the bounds of free speech intensified after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested on a podcast that hate speech is not protected by the First Amendment. Voss clarified that hate speech becomes an issue when it incites or encourages violence, rather than simply being offensive speech.

“The idea that you can say anything you want has limits,” Voss said. “It doesn’t mean there aren’t consequences to that.”

As social media posts continue to generate controversy, employees must balance their right to express themselves with possible professional repercussions.