PALMETTO BAY, Fla. — Village of Palmetto Bay officials passed a motion that included a push for Gov. Ron DeSantis to remove a councilman from office over his reaction on social media to Charlie Kirk’s murder.
Mayor Karyn Cunningham presided over a zoning meeting on Monday night that allowed residents to comment on Councilman Steve Cody’s Sept. 10 post on Facebook.
“I frankly did not know who Charlie Kirk was on Wednesday, Sept. 11. Thursday, Sept. 12, after hearing the, in my opinion, vile comment that the council member posted online, I did a little bit of my own research,” Cunningham said during the meeting.
Cunningham brought forward a motion that included a request for Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier to investigate the grounds for Cody’s removal.
Cunningham said Cody’s post had “crossed the line” because it “condoned” or “celebrated” a political assassination. And without Cody’s resignation, the next possibility, she said, would be a recall or action by DeSantis.
Vice Mayor Mark Merwitzer, Councilwoman Marsha Matson, and Councilman Patrick Fiore supported Cunningham’s demand doe Cody’s resignation and push for his removal.
“Jesus Christ forgives all, but in the world, this is the appropriate remedy for Councilman Cody’s actions,” Fiore said.
Merwitzer and Matson accused Cody of abusing his position and said he had to be held accountable.
“His hateful and malicious comments are not the voice of a private citizen. They are the words of an elected official who represents every single one of us in Palmetto Bay,” Matson said.
Before the meeting, Cody released a statement apologizing after deleting the social media post that resulted in public calls for his resignation.
“I regrettably made a significant error in judgment,” Cody wrote in the statement, which also included an apology to Kirk’s family, “and to anyone who was offended or hurt.”
Fiore and Merwitzer wanted to put the village’s business on hold to avoid Cody’s involvement, but Cunningham disagreed. On Wednesday, there is a second reading of the budget.
“I just don’t support shutting down city business,” Cunninham said.
Cody reiterated his apology before the meeting.
“What I did was admittedly stupid,” Cody said. “But, if every time a politician did something that was stupid, nobody would ever serve in our government.”
Cody also said that if Merwitzer interferes with the council’s ability to pass the village’s budget, then he would accuse him of malfeasance.
“That would be a reason for him to be removed,” Cody said about Merwitzer.
Merwitzer said Cody’s apology without his resignation was not enough for residents. Fiore and Merwitzer refused to continue to consider the items dealing with zoning and left the meeting after the motion related to Cody passed 4-1.
Watch the public meeting
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