A new Florida bill would make local governments financially responsible for removing public statutes. The “Historic Monuments and Memorials Protection Act” would allow civilians to sue for three times the cost of repairing or replacing the memorial.
“I think this bill is absolutely a response to removing the Confederate statues, without a doubt,” State Senator Lori Berman said. Hyperallergic, adding that after 13 years of Parliament, it was the first time that she had seen a bill like this. She was one of two senators to vote against the bill during the April 5 hearing on Community Affairs in the Florida State Senate. The other was Senator Rosalind Osgood, who is black.
Confederate statues have been removed en masse in recent years, especially in 2020but Florida still has dozens on display. Past legal attempts to block the removal of Confederate monuments in the state relied on freedom of expression and technical details such as municipal decrees, but were ultimately cancelled. The new law would provide a simplified way to block the removal of statues.
“In recent years, Confederate memorials have been the most controversial and the subject of memorials subject to removal,” said Florida State Director of the Southern Poverty Law Center Jonathan Webber. said at the hearing. “To many Floridians, [Confederate statues] represent one of the cruellest periods in American history and are symbolic reminders of the racist social hierarchy that is still felt today.
Republican State Senator Jonathan Martin, who introduced the bill, defended it on the grounds that public monuments teach Floridians history and cited the notion of an “imperfect person” (referring to the Founding Fathers who enslaved people).
The proposal allows monuments to be removed for construction or transportation projects, as long as they are moved to the same county or city and displayed with the same “prominence” and “honor.” The bill could also prohibit or limit the addition of contextual information to statues: “A plaque, sign, image, notice or other object used to convey information may not be placed on a memorial” without it. approval of the Secretary of State.
Martin introduced a bill in the Senate 1096 February 22. It passed the Government Oversight and State Accountability Committee on March 15 and the Community Affairs Committee on April 5. Both votes took place along party lines. Now the proposal will move to the Rules Committee, which has a Republican majority, and then a general Senate vote before appearing on Governor Ron DeSantis’ desk. A support Internal Bill to enact the legislation was presented on March 7. Republicans hold both the House and the Senate in Florida.
