Two South Florida officials are feeling the heat from critics after they made controversial comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and one of them has already submitted his resignation.
On Thursday, 54-year-old Glen Turf is out of his job as Chief Officer for Global Learning Opportunities, Belongings and Empowerment at Miami Country Day, a prestigious private school in Miami Shores.
Turf resigned after posting a quote about Kirk’s assassination on social media that read: “He died. Oh well, he ironically promoted gun usage. Karma.”
The comments sparked outrage among the community, as it came just a day after Kirk was fatally shot while speaking with university students at Utah Valley University.
In a letter to the school community, the school’s president said, “Effective today, Glen Turf is resigning,” adding that his post “does not align with our values. Mr. Turf has apologized for his remarks.”
7News passed by Turf’s home to get his side of the story, but the front door never opened.
However, a woman’s voice could be heard from a Ring doorbell camera where she said: “Get the [expletive] off the property.”
Turf isn’t the only one being criticized for his comments. Down south in Palmetto Bay, one of the village’s council members, Steve Cody, is being urged to resign by community members, state and federal officials after he posted his opinion on the killing.
Cody wrote: “Charlie Kirk is a fitting sacrifice to our lords: Smith and Wesson. Hallowed be their names.”
Protesters and local town officials gathered at Village Hall on Thursday to condemn Cody’s comments.
“It’s not funny, and it’s too late to kind of, in my opinion, turn back the dial on it,” said Palmetto Bay Mayor Karyn Cunningham.
“To mock the brutal assassination of a political activist is incredibly disgusting,” said Palmetto Bay Vice Mayor Mark Merwitzer.
While the town leaders said they don’t have the power to remove Cody or reprimand him, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis can.
“I’m sending an email to the governor demanding [Cody’s] immediate revocation of office,” Merwitzer told the crowd of protesters.
But as of late Thursday evening, Cody appears to be staying put. He responded on social media, apologizing for the comment. He posted a letter that read, “I screwed up,” and “I regrettably made a significant error in judgment.”
However, the Republican Party of Miami-Dade says that’s not good enough. In a statement, they wrote: “Councilman Cody has forfeited the public trust. We call for his immediate removal from office.”
Miami County Day announced late Thursday it would close their school and all activities through Sunday due to “unverified online threats.”
In addition, Florida’s Educational Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas wrote in a letter to school superintendents across the state that he has seen “disgusting comments” about Kirk online and said he will investigate any teacher who engages in “this vile, sanctionable behavior.”