DeSantis condemns celebratory posts after Charlie Kirk shooting, says education commissioner will act

Governor Ron DeSantis addressed social-media posts by some school-district employees that celebrated the attempted assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and said Florida—s education commissioner would "act." He described the posts as "deplorable" and said they had drawn the attention of the state.

"All I can tell to the folks on the Alachua school board is, you know, they are in, Stasi. They have Stasi's attention," DeSantis said, referring to Education Commissioner Richard "Stas" Kamutsis by nickname and describing him as "a pit bull." He added that there would be consequences for people whose social-media posts glorified the attack on Kirk and said such behavior was unacceptable for teachers and public employees.

DeSantis said the attack itself showed the broader risks of turning political disagreement into violent action and argued that campus debates should include civil exchange rather than intimidation. He described Kirk—s campus appearances as events that challenged students— assumptions and said a violent response to disagreement was "a dark day for this country."

The governor did not identify specific disciplinary actions to be taken at the event and said only that the commissioner "is very quick to act" and that he expected some follow-up. He criticized the Alachua school board—s behavior and said some posts from school employees were inexcusable; he said the state intended to make sure those matters are reviewed.