Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) expressed his disagreement with a Florida mayor's decision to remove a Confederate statue.
DeSantis was in Ankeny, Iowa, on Thursday at a campaign event for his 2024 presidential bid when he reacted to the news that Democratic Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan removed the "Tribute to the Women of the Southern Confederacy" statue in Springfield Park. To remove it, Deegan used the Jessie Ball duPont Fund and donations from anonymous sponsors.
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"I'm opposed to taking down statues. 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 said. "So I don't support taking down statues, particularly if you don't have legal authority to do it."
The governor was referring to Deegan's decision coming solely from her office without any vote in the city council. Deegan said that since city funds weren't utilized, city council approval was not required.
"This is not in any way an attempt to erase history but to show that we've learned from it," Deegan said. "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."
"I don't know what the legal basis was to do it," DeSantis admitted. "I just kind of got a report on it, but I would not be taking down statues."
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In the Florida House and Senate, there are two competing bills that attempt to protect Confederate statues by legislating punishments against officials who remove them. SB 1122, which was filed the day after Deegan's announcement, calls for a fine of $1,000, while HB 395, filed earlier this year, suggests a $5,000 fine.
Neither bill would have the power to punish a city official retroactively, as in Deegan's case.