A Duval County School Board meeting in Jacksonville turned into an hours-long public comment session Wednesday, with more than 100 people signing up to speak, largely in response to a Facebook post attributed to board member Tony Ricardo.
The post in question, a screenshot shared on social media, read, “We got lost in the myth that Islam is a religion.” Action News Jax reported it could not independently verify that Ricardo shared the post himself.
The controversy began a week earlier, on Nov. 3, when the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) publicly demanded that the board member resign over the post. CAIR’s statement said, “We call on the school board member who shared it to resign.”
The demand drew a large crowd to Wednesday’s meeting, where speakers addressed both the specific post and broader questions about free speech and religion in public office.
CAIR’s Florida operations in legal limbo
The dispute comes as CAIR and its Florida chapter face separate legal trouble. WUSF reported on Nov. 5 that CAIR and CAIR-Florida have suspended advocacy and operations in the state after a federal judge declined to lift Florida’s domestic terrorist designation against the organization while litigation continues. CAIR disputes the designation and has said it plans to appeal.
Neither the school board nor Ricardo has issued a public statement responding directly to CAIR’s resignation call, according to available reporting. It remains unclear what action, if any, the board intends to take regarding the post.
The meeting highlighted ongoing tension in Duval County over how elected officials’ personal social media activity intersects with their public roles, a debate that is likely to continue as the board considers its next steps.
