TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) – Last week political activist Charlie Kirk was gunned down while debating students on a Utah college campus. The event turned tragic after suspected shooter Tyler James Robinson allegedly shot and killed Kirk from a nearby rooftop.
In the days following Kirk’s, death, there has been sympathy as well as backlash and finger-pointing. Even so, Florida congressional leaders on Capitol Hill are finding ways to celebrate Kirk’s life and contribution to free speech.

“He is now a stronger impact on a movement in my opinion, than ever before,” said Congressman Jimmy Patronis, (R-FL).

Congressman Patronis teamed up with U.S. Senator Rick Scott introducing a Day of Remembrance on Kirks birthday October 14th, 2025.

However, the rise in political violence and polarization has state leaders concerned for the future.
“As a country, we need to do better, to listen to one another, to try to understand one another and to promote healing rather than division and hate,” said State Rep. Fentrice Driskell, (D-Tampa).
Over in Pensacola a memorial painting of kirk sparked outrage, leading to graphic words and images being painted over it.
“I mean less than 24 hours later, the hate speech came out, demonic figures, painted over it. And so, I guess part of that is what we have in our freedom of speech, but also definitely insensitivity to somebody whose life was just taken. His family now doesn’t have a husband or a father anymore,” said Patronis.

Even with the heat some of these memorials have faced, New College of Florida in Sarasota is now on track to bring a statue to campus to honor Kirk. The school took that announcement to X, which has seen mixed reviews, some praising while others question the motive.

Democrats however, say, we need to turn the temperature down, and it’s on everyone to think about how they conduct themselves.
“All of this is coming on the heels of the shooting, and I think we’re kind of losing the thread here in the sense that there was something that just shook our nation last week in terms of political violence and we need everybody, everywhere, regardless of their political stripes, to denounce that sort of thing in this country, because today it might be a conservative, and tomorrow it might be a progressive and we just don’t want to see this happen to anybody. No, no one and no family, and no community deserves that,” said Leader Driskell.