A Palmetto Bay councilman said he will not resign after widespread condemnation following a Facebook post in which he called the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk “a fitting sacrifice.” Steve Cody, an attorney who serves on the Palmetto Bay Village Council, deleted the post and said he regretted the online message but refused to step down amid mounting pressure from residents and elected officials.
Cody told NBC6 he understood why people were calling for his resignation but that he would not comply. “I will admit to you it was not well thought out,” he said, adding the comment was “insensitive” and born of anger over the nation’s gun violence epidemic. He said he would apologize to those he had hurt and vowed to “go forward and behave differently from this point on.”
Cody’s post, which has since been deleted, included a graphic of Kirk’s 2023 comments defending gun rights even at the cost of “some gun deaths” and declared, “Charlie Kirk is a fitting sacrifice to our Lords: Smith & Wesson. Hallowed be their names.” The remarks prompted a rally outside Palmetto Bay Village Hall attended by Mayor Karyn Cunningham, dozens of residents, state lawmakers and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, all of whom called on Cody to resign.
“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,” Cunningham said at the rally. She told NBC6 that the village council lacks the power to remove Cody and that only state officials in Tallahassee could intervene; she said she will formally request his resignation at the council’s next meeting. Republican state Rep. Omar Blanco said Cody’s words were “incorrect” and “not reflective of this amazing community,” and the Republican Party of Miami-Dade County indicated it would join calls for his departure at City Hall.
Uthmeier posted on X that if the Facebook post was legitimate, Cody should resign immediately. Cody acknowledged in a new Facebook statement that his anger over gun violence had driven the post and said it did not reflect his values, while also asserting he would not bow to political pressure.
The controversy comes in the wake of the Aug. 28 killing of 31-year-old Charlie Kirk, who was shot while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem. Kirk was struck in the neck and later died at a local hospital. Authorities arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson after receiving a tip from a family member and have described how Robinson’s family and roommate provided information that led to his capture.
Investigators recovered a high-powered, bolt-action rifle and unspent rounds engraved with messages. Authorities have said the motive remains unclear; Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said family members reported that Robinson had grown more political in recent years and had expressed dislike of Kirk. Robinson is in custody and faces an ongoing investigation.
Local officials and residents said Cody’s public comments were especially harmful as the community and Kirk’s supporters continued to process the shooting. Protesters at Palmetto Bay called for leadership that reflects “compassion, responsibility, and dignity in moments of crisis,” and critics from both sides of the political spectrum described celebrating an assassination as unacceptable for an elected official.
Cody said he understood the pain his words caused people he knows and respects and that he removed the post because it had caused “a lot of pain.” He said he regretted the error in judgment but would remain on the council. The village council is expected to take up the matter during its next meeting, when Mayor Cunningham will formally request Cody step down.