Overview
- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission agreed on May 21, 2026 to pay a total of $485,000 to settle Brittney Brown’s lawsuit over her September social-media repost.
- The settlement awards Brown $275,000, which includes $40,000 in back pay and $235,000 in compensatory damages, plus $210,000 to cover attorneys’ fees and costs.
- Brown was fired in mid-September 2025 after she reposted a satirical @awhalefact message on her private Instagram and the post was amplified by the Libs of TikTok account.
- Court discovery showed the agency received roughly 50 documented complaints, not the hundreds its officials claimed, and U.S. District Judge Mark Walker sanctioned supervisor Melissa Tucker for exaggerating the record.
- As part of the deal Brown agreed not to seek future employment with the FWC but may work for other state agencies, and advocates say the case highlights legal and financial risks for agencies that discipline staff over private political speech.