Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis decried the decision by Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan to remove a Confederate statue from a city park.
"I'm opposed to taking down statues," DeSantis said Thursday, according to the Washington Examiner. "The idea that we're going to just erase history is wrong. You've seen it now where they tried to take down Thomas Jefferson. They tried to take down George Washington off schools. It just gets so out of hand."
DeSantis, a Republican, was attending a campaign event in Ankeny, Iowa, for his 2024 presidential campaign when he talked about Deegan's decision to remove the "Tribute to the Women of the Southern Confederacy" monument in Springfield Park.
DeSantis also commented on the decision by Deegan, a Democrat, to take down the statue without any vote of the city council.
"I don't support taking down statues, particularly if you don't have legal authority to do it," DeSantis said.
According to the Examiner, Deegan used money from the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund and anonymous donations to pay for the statue's removal.
She told the Examiner that approval by the city council was not necessary because city funds were not used.
"This is not in any way an attempt to erase history but to show that we've learned from it," Deegan said Wednesday. "That when we know better, we do better by and for each other. My prayer today is for our beautiful city to continue embracing unity and bending the arc of history towards justice. Let's keep lifting as we climb."
The monument had reportedly been in place at the park since 1915.
Jacksonville General Counsel Michael Fackler told the Examiner that Deegan had not violated any laws in exercising her authority as mayor.
"Our legal analysis finds that Mayor Deegan has the authority as executive of the City — and because city funds are not being utilized — to control the property, the park, and the monument," Fackler said in a statement. "We have worked closely with Procurement, Public Works, and Parks on the approved scope of work in accordance with municipal code in how we contract for and complete these services."
Two separate bills that aim to protect Confederate statues are working their way through the Florida House and Senate, according to the Examiner. Filed in November, HB 395 seeks to levy a fine of $5,000 against officials who remove them, while SB 1122, which was filed Thursday, seeks a fine of $1,000. Neither proposal would apply retroactively.
Nicole Wells ✉
Nicole Wells, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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