DeSantis opposes ‘taking down monuments’ in Florida as lawmakers push forth legislation
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis said he does not support taking down monuments in the state during a press conference in Jacksonville Thursday.
DeSantis said he has not seen the newly filed legislation that would ensure protection and preservation for all historical monuments and memorials in Florida, but he has been “very clear” since becoming governor that he does not support taking down monuments.
“We’ve gotta stop with this, okay?” DeSantis said. “You know, it’s like, you learn from history. […] When they’ll say […] ‘oh well, we just, they just didn’t want some Civil Gar general or whatever.’ And then now, that’s turned into taking down Thomas Jefferson, and Teddy Roosevelt, and Lincoln, taking Washington’s name off schools.”
“That is, it is nuts and so I’ve just said no, we’re not gonna support removing any monuments or taking down any statues,” he said.
Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, recently filed SB 1122. The bill is entitled the “Historical Monuments and Memorials Protection Act,” which passed through a Senate committee Jan. 23.
“Accurate history belongs to all Floridians in perpetuity,” Martin said. “And accurate and factual history belongs to all Floridians and future generations.”
Reps. Dean Black, R-Jacksonville, and Webster Barnaby, R-Deltona, filed a similar bill in the House, HB 395.
DeSantis said he thinks it’s “totally appropriate for the legislature to say ‘you know what, we’re gonna stop the madness.’”
“I heard people in Jacksonville wanna take down Andrew Jackson,” DeSantis said. “What are we gonna rename the city? I mean, come on, we’ve gotta stop doing this.”
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan faced backlash after using private contributions and not seeking city council’s approval to remove a Confederate monument at Springfield Park on Dec. 27, 2023.
So far, three meetings were held by the city council to question Jacksonville’s Office of General Counsel regarding the legal memorandum opinion about the removal of the monument and the mayor’s authority over city parks.
The city’s General Counsel Michael Fackler changed his legal memorandum opinion twice about the removal of the monument and the mayor’s authority.
Following the latest meeting where Fackler was questioned by the city council on Jan. 25, council members believe he received “political pressure” from Deegan on the memo.
In response to the removal of the Confederate monument, City Council President Ron Salem recently proposed legislation that would change the city’s ordinance code to give city council authority regarding the acceptance of gifts, bequests, and other donations on behalf of the city, rather than just the mayor.
