Palmetto Bay Councilmember Steve Cody is facing calls to resign after he made a comment on social media mocking the death of Charlie Kirk.
“Charlie Kirk is a fitting sacrifice to our Lords: Smith and Wesson. Hallowed be their names,” he wrote in a post that has since been deleted. The comment also featured a statement Kirk previously made regarding firearms.
He later apologized for the comments, admitting that he made a “significant error in judgment,” describing his action as being born out of his “deep anger and frustration with the now too common tragedy of gun violence.”
“I am committed to learning from this mistake, to exercising significantly greater care in all my future communications, and to dedicating my energy to the issues that are most critical to the well-being and prosperity of our community,” Cody’s apology read.
The Florida GOP has urged him to resign, stating, “This wasn’t just mocking a murdered patriot. It was spitting on Charlie’s faith, ridiculing his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and sneering at a family and a movement grieving a tragedy. His words are vile and hateful.”
“Cody’s behavior is part of a long pattern. He has bullied his neighbors, silenced residents, cut off council members mid-sentence, and shut down dissent at every turn,” the statement continued. “Time and again, he has revealed himself not as a leader, but as a bully drunk on power.”
The mayor of Palmetto Bay has also condemned Cody’s comments.
“Violence has no place in our community or in our nation, and words that seek to diminish or make light of such tragedy are equally harmful,” Mayor Karyn Cunningham wrote, in part. “The people of Palmetto Bay deserve leadership that reflects compassion, responsibility, and dignity in moments of crisis.”
“With this in mind, and with great respect for the office I hold, I must call for Councilman Cody to step down. The people of Palmetto Bay deserve leadership that reflects compassion, responsibility, and dignity in moments of crisis,” she said.
