Florida councilman who mocked Kirk assassination as ‘sacrifice’ to gun ‘Lords’ faces resignation demands

Florida village councilman Steve Cody sparked outrage with Facebook post mocking Charlie Kirk's death, prompting demands from mayor and residents to step down.

Charlie Kirk was assassinated in Utah Sept. 10, 2025, while on Utah Valley University's campus as part of Turning Point USA's American Comeback Tour (Rebecca Noble/AFP via Getty Images)

In Palmetto Bay, Florida, which is located in Miami–Dade County, the mayor also called on him to resign over the post, while the council voted Monday 4–1 to censure him. Cody was the only council member to vote against the censure. 

"As public officials, we are entrusted to lead by example and to uphold the values of respect, empathy, and civility that form the foundation of our democracy," Palmetto Bay Mayor Karyn Cunningham wrote in her Thursday condemnation of the post. "We must model the kind of peaceful discourse that we want to see reflected in our society." 

"With this in mind, and with great respect for the office I hold, I must call for Councilman Cody to step down," she added. 

The councilman, however, does not plan to step down. 

"I will not be resigning," Cody told Fox News Digital Tuesday when asked about the mounting pressure to resign. 

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Cody was first elected as a Palmetto Bay, Florida, council member in 2020, and re-elected to the position in 2024, according to his official council biography. The councilman is an attorney who previously specialized in commercial litigation and mortgage foreclosure defense, the biography outlined. 

A side-by-side photo showing a memorial for Charlie Kirk following his assassination, and Palmetto Bay councilman Steve Cody's official government photo.  (Phill Magkoe/AFP via Getty Image/palmettobay-fl.gov)

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"I want to state unequivocally that this post did not and does not reflect my personal values, my deeply held beliefs, or my solemn responsibilities as an elected official," he added. 

Cody's Facebook page was no longer available as of Friday afternoon, Fox News Digital found. 

Flowers are pictured outside Hansen Mortuary Chapel Sept. 12, 2025. Charlie Kirk was brought to Hansen Mortuary Chapel in Phoenix the day before.  (Andrea Owens)

CHARLIE KIRK SHOOTING LEADS TO OUTPOURING FROM UTAH OFFICIALS, 2025 NOMS ON BOTH SIDES

Kirk was assassinated in Utah Sept. 10 while on Utah Valley University's campus as part of Turning Point USA's American Comeback Tour, when he was struck by a single bullet to the neck. He was in the midst of speaking with students while sitting under a tent outside when he was shot. 

The suspect in the assassination was identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, a Utah native. He was apprehended later Thursday evening, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox told the media Friday. Cox added that shell casings recovered at the scene of the shooting were inscribed with anti-fascist messaging, shedding light on a political motive behind the tragedy. 

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Fox News Digital's Ashley Oliver and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/florida-councilman-who-mocked-kirk-assassination-sacrifice-gun-lords-faces-resignation-demands