Leon County spokesman suspended without pay for 2 weeks over anti-Trump post

Leon County chief spokesperson Mathieu Cavell will be suspended for two weeks without pay after appearing in a July 4 Facebook post in which he and his wife used sparklers to spell out the phrase "F--- MAGA," referring to "Make America Great Again," the longtime motto of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

That's according to an internal investigative report that was released Friday. The suspension is ongoing, county spokesperson Kianna Gilley told the Tallahassee Democrat, with Cavell expected to return to work on Monday, July 22.

The combined human resources and legal inquiry was sparked after Cavell's wife took to Facebook to share their Independence Day activity: "We've done it again y'all - SPARKLER ART! ... Happy 4th." She tagged Cavell in the post.

After pushback from local conservatives on social media, including Leon County Republican Party chair and state GOP chief Evan Power, County Administrator Vince Long ordered a review.

"This is a disciplinary action I have never taken with a county employee (but), as I have said before, Mr. Cavell has been an exemplar," Long wrote in an email to county commissioners. "He will have the opportunity to demonstrate that again soon and to earn the trust of all the people we serve going forward."

The review included a timeline of events from the moment the post was made and leading up to the investigation, as well as legal findings and county policy, which says in part, "If an employee's outside conduct impairs the reputation of the County ... then the appropriate supervisory authority is justified in taking disciplinary action."

The county bolstered its decision on retaining Cavell as an employee using employment-related case law, part of which says that "a public employee has less First Amendment interest in speech that is ‘disrespectful, demeaning, insulting and rude,’ even on a matter of public concern.”

The review also determined Cavell had Facebook settings on in which, when he is tagged in a post, it appears on his personal page. In an interview with county staff, Cavell said he was initially unaware of the post and then asked his wife to remove it, which she did.

'Free speech will no longer be permitted on the 4th of July'

As previously reported by the Democrat, the post caught fire when it was reposted from Facebook to X by Power with the comment, "Uniting 4th of July message to share." From there it was reposted by the Leon GOP X account, where other local conservatives piled on.

Cavell "also manages the Division of Emergency Management, Community and Media Relations, and Tourism," the report explained. He "is a member of the Executive Leadership Team and reports directly to you, as County Administrator," referring to Long, who first put Cavell on paid administrative leave.

Tallahassee City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow and Leon County Commissioner David O'Keefe spoke out on their own X accounts.

O'Keefe responded with a screenshot of the First Amendment and said Leon County employees "enjoy freedom of speech in their personal lives." Matlow added that "free speech will no longer be permitted on the 4th of July in the MAGA GOP."

Power asked Matlow online whether he had any issues with the post, especially because it involved a county employee. Matlow answered: "I think 'Let's go Brandon' flags are tacky, but I'll fight for your right to fly one."

Long used Leon County government's X account to respond that the Facebook post Cavell was in "does not express any official position of the county, was not made on an official county platform, was not posted during work hours, and was not posted by a county employee."

Arianna Otero is the City Solutions Reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com or on Twitter/X: @ari_v_otero.