PALMETTO BAY, Fla. (WSVN) — Ahead of a Village of Palmetto Bay council meeting, all eyes are on councilmember Steve Cody as pressure grows on him to resign from his post following his controversial comments on the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Cody has faced backlash for a number of days following his post in the aftermath of Kirk’s death where he wrote: “Charlie Kirk is a fitting sacrifice to our lords: Smith and Wesson. Hallowed be their names.”
Village, federal and state officials have all joined in on the chorus of people calling for Cody’s resignation.
On Monday, U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar posted to social media saying, “The disgusted comments made by Steve Cody about Charlie Kirk’s assassination have disrupted the business of Palmetto Bay. Residents have lost trust in him and it will be nearly impossible to regain it. For the good of the Village, he must step down and let Palmetto Bay restore trust and move forward.”
Since his initial comment, Cody has walked back the controversial post, saying he had “screwed up.” and wrote a letter that said he “regrettably made a significant error in judgement.”
Despite days of pressure, Cody told reporters Monday that he’s not going anywhere.
Village Vice Mayor said the council won’t move forward with any council business until Cody turns in his resignation.
A large public response is expected at the council meeting on Monday night.
Cody joins a growing number of people across the country feeling pressure to resign or getting fired over comments about Kirk’s death on social media.
In South Florida, a University of Miami fired Neurologist Dr. Michelle Bravo after she re-shared a post on social media that read: “What was done to Charlie Kirk was done to countless Palestinian babies, children, girls, boys, women, and men. Charlie Kirk came out to say, ‘I love this. I want more of this.’ As Malcom said, ‘The chickens have come home to roost.'”
In a statement, UM said “Freedom of speech is a fundamental right. At the same time, expressions that condone or endorse violence or are incompatible with our policies and values are not acceptable.”
Florida Atlantic University also placed an unidentified staff member on leave pending an investigation into their social media comments.
Additionally, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission fired one of their employees over social media posts making light of Kirk’s murder and said in a statement: “The comments and actions of this individual are not in line with the FWC, our values, or our mission. We have a zero-tolerance policy towards the promotion of violence and hate, and we will not stand for such behavior.”
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