The assistant finance director for Florida’s Seminole County Clerk of Courts was once a man named Stan McCullars. Emphasis on “was.”
A little background:
In January 2017, Aramis Ayala became Orange-Osceola State Attorney. She’s also the first African American to hold the office in the Sunshine State. Unfortunately, this historic achievement has been marred by the way Ayala has been treated so far. Just two months after taking office, Ayala announced that she would not pursue the death penalty at all, and specifically in a felony case involving the death of an Orlando police officer. Though she faced great criticism, Ayala only did what other prosecutors have done—and more should do—by saying she will no longer seek the death penalty because one, the death penalty does not deter crime and two, it is not administered fairly.
Then-Gov. Rick Scott, always one to add fuel to the flames, then removed her from 29 first-degree murder cases for not pursuing the death penalty. Scott did this despite being told by 100 legal experts that he was wrong and unlawful. However, in a ruling that shocked no one, Scott’s stacked Supreme Court said otherwise. Ayala ultimately complied and created a seven-member panel of prosecutors to determine which cases should receive the death penalty.
It wasn’t just Scott, of course: The police union was none too pleased. You might have seen this July 2017 viral video, which shows her being pulled over by Orlando police, supposedly to see if her car was stolen, even though she had properly registered vehicle tags.
This is also where McCullars comes in. Just a few days after Scott removed Ayala from the first-degree murder cases, McCullars decided to weigh in on a Facebook post of an Orlando Sentinel story about Ayala. She “should be tarred and feathered if not hung from a tree,” McCullars commented, adding that “SHE should get the death penalty.”
Calling for the first black state attorney to be lynched did not go over well at work.
In the lawsuit, [Clerk of Courts and Comptroller Grant Maloy’s] staff testified that McCullars’ statements created such chaos in the office that “phones were ringing off the hook with complaints … With some people crying while others used profanity to express their outrage.”
For three straight days, several clerk employees had to drop their regular duties to field calls from the public, Maloy said. Employees called the work environment “a nightmare” with a hoard (sic) of media stationed outside the clerk’s office building in Sanford.
McCullars was put on administrative leave and then told to resign within two days of his social media posts.
Naturally, as with most racists, McCullars felt that he was the victim. He claimed his First Amendment rights were violated. He sued for mental anguish, attorney’s fees, and even backpay. That brings us to 2019, where, late last month, a federal judge told him where to go with that. Although it was private speech, the social media posts clearly “interfered with the regular operation of the office,” and even “damaged the credibility” of the office.
In other words: Yes, you are entitled to freedom of speech in this country. However, you are NOT entitled to freedom from consequences. If you choose to post violent and racist statements, be prepared for some citizens you work for to demand that you vacate your taxpayer-funded position.
I don’t think it’s out of line that they should feel you don’t have their interests at heart. There is no constitutional right to hold your cushy, $86,000/year government job. That’s exactly the point, ironically, that people who love Donald Trump like to lean on whenever Trump lashes out and fires people. Something tells me that Stan McCullars used to be one of those people.
Ayala has continued to face harassment; she’s received multiple death threats, including a noose being sent to her office. Despite the threats of violence, and despite the indignities that she’s had to suffer—along with her family— Ayala has continued to serve as State Attorney with distinction. As of this writing, she has not made up her mind whether or not she is going to run again, but I don’t blame her if she doesn’t. Already, she has a challenger backed by the same police unions that once targeted her.
However, I hope she does decide to run. I will be covering her campaign if she does.