JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A city-appointed official and former employee of the Jacksonville Public Education Fund (JPEF) is no longer employed after posts he made on X and Facebook regarding Charlie Kirk, the organization tells First Coast News.

Screenshots of posts by Leofric Thomas Jr., which were being spread on social media, were reposted by Jacksonville City Council President Kevin Carrico. One shows a Facebook post saying, “You reap what you sow…” which does not directly name Kirk. The other shows an X post reading, “When you spew hate, it’s what you get back. Charlie spewed nothing but hate, so what he got back, was….. yeah.” 

Carrico wrote that he would be filing legislation to remove Thomas from his position and calling on the council and mayor to join him. “This hateful rhetoric has no place in Jacksonville,” he wrote.

Councilmember Rory Diamond also calls for Thomas’ removal.

“I think the appointee has to go there’s a standard for serving on our city boards and he’s fallen well low that standard,” said Diamond, “What he said was really disgusting so he should go “

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan is calling for an end to hate and violence, but said “this is a council appointment and council decision.”

The JPEF first provided a statement to First Coast News saying they were aware of the posts and handling the matter “internally.” 

They called the posts “inconsistent with our values and code of conduct.” 

“We unequivocally condemn violence and offer our deepest condolences to Mr. Kirk’s family. We will continue to encourage respectful, empathetic dialogue across differing viewpoints,” JPEF wrote in the statement. 

In a follow-up statement, they added an additional line reading “We can confirm that Mr. Thomas is no longer with our organization.” 

They did not explain whether Thomas had been dismissed, fired or had resigned himself.

Thomas sent a statement to First Coast News Thursday evening, confirming he made the posts and responding to the situation. Thomas apologized for his posts in the statement.

“On September 10th at 4:08 P.M., I made a post on X addressing Mr. Charlie Kirk. Unfortunately, that post has been taken out of context and misrepresented in a way that does not reflect my values or the work I have committed myself to throughout the City of Jacksonville.

Public service has always been a calling for me—one grounded in love, equity, and a deep desire to bring people together. My original post was never meant to imply that Mr. Kirk deserved what happened to him. I want to be very clear: I do not condone or endorse any form of violence, under any circumstance.

Over the years, I have worked across political, racial, and cultural lines to serve our community. That includes standing up for marginalized voices—particularly within the African-American, LGBTQ+, and women’s communities. Some of Mr. Kirk’s past statements have deeply disturbed me, especially those that many see as harmful toward those very communities, including ones I represent and belong to.

While I strongly disagree with some of Mr. Kirk’s views, I also recognize that disagreement should never be expressed in a way that can be interpreted as encouraging harm. If given the opportunity to say it again, I would voice my concerns very differently. I remain committed to leading with love, even in the face of division or disagreement.

To anyone who was hurt, confused, or disappointed by my words—I sincerely apologize. My heart and prayers are with Mr. Kirk’s wife and children during this traumatic time.

Love brings love. Hate brings hate. Let us choose love—every time.”

The Florida Department of Education has announced plans to investigate teachers who have commented on the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Commissioner of Education Anatasios Kamoutsas said in a newly released memorandum to school district superintendents, which comes after a Clay County teacher had been suspended, that he has been made aware of “despicable comments” on social media from some teachers regarding Kirk’s death.

The Florida Education Association released a statement, which did not name Thomas, condemning “social media discourse.”

“We want to take a moment to address what we have seen on social media today… Everyone deserves the right to be safe in their communities- whether that’s at home, in their schools or on college campuses. The union is here to support the rights of every educator across the state and we will not stand quiet while educators are tried in the court of public opinion instead of receiving the due process they deserve. Allowing threats and threatening those in our public school communities is counterproductive. As a union, we have always, and will always, stand for bringing people together. Now is the time to unite for safer, stronger communities for every American.”

The President, Andrew Spar told First Coast News that educators must uphold professionalism, but called the Commissioner’s letter “accusatory.”

“it was very threatening, it was very demeaning. What we need to do is have cooler heads prevail and what we need to do is be the adults,” said Spar, “We have teachers being doxed on social media, who are being threatened both physically and emotionally.”