JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A pair of employees at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind have filed lawsuits against the school, alleging they were “forced to endure the racially hostile environment.”
Plaintiff Desiree Brown filed her lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville Division, Nov. 25. Plaintiff Shantel Smith filed hers in the same federal court, also on Nov. 25.
“During her employment with Defendant, Plaintiff has been subjected to discrimination and retaliation based on her race and gender,” wrote Brown, who is Black.
According to her 18-page complaint, she claims the St. Augustine-area school – dedicated to students who are deaf, hard of hearing, visually impaired, and deafblind – violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Florida Civil Rights Act.
Brown alleges the discrimination began when Ron Gilbertson joined the school in August 2023. Brown began working for the school in December 2021, as a food service worker.
She claims she complained to her supervisor, Angel Arizaga, in August 2023 and again in May 2024.
“Mr. Arizaga’s response to Plaintiff’s complaint was to scold her for ‘outing her superior like that’ and indicated that he would never send an email like that about his superior,” Brown’s complaint states, adding he suggested giving Gilbertson “time.”
“When there was no resolution, Plaintiff complained again by email, this time in August 2024 to HR director, Lexi Bucca, who never responded.”
This email included complaints that Gilbertson would intrude Brown’s personal space and yell in her face “to the extent spit from his mouth would land [sic] her face.”
Brown later reported Gilbertson’s behavior to her union representative. Two days after filing her report with the union rep, Brown claims she received a written reprimand.
“Across the board, Gilbertson made working very difficult for all the Black employees within the company, especially the Plaintiff,” Brown’s complaint states, adding Gilbertson played music with substantial use of the n-word when he was frustrated with Black staff members.
Gilbertson also allegedly expressed his intention to separate the Black employees from white ones, Brown claims.
He followed through with his intention in August 2024, placing the white workers in the Memorial Kitchen and Black workers in the MacWilliams Kitchen.
In addition, between November and December 2024, Arizaga allegedly encouraged other Black employees not to make complaints about Gilbertson’s racially discriminatory comments and actions.
Smith, in her 13-page complaint, claims once the school learned she and Brown had retained counsel, Arizaga asked Gilbertson to “lighten up the kitchen” by moving one white employee to the Black kitchen.
Smith contends Gilbertson refused this request.
Both Smith and Brown argue the school “should have known” of the discrimination.
Brown filed a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in December 2024 and an amended charge in January 2025. The commission issued a notice of right to sue in August.
Both plaintiffs seek front pay, back pay, liquidated damages, reinstatement, lost benefits, compensatory damages, emotional distress damages, pain and suffering, injunctive relief, and reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs.
The Leach Firm PA in Winter Park is representing both Brown and Smith in their actions.
