A Florida city council voted against removing two Confederate statues — which would have cost taxpayers $500,000 — after a heated public hearing Tuesday night.
Jacksonville City Councilman Matt Carlucci proposed a bill that would have taken down two monuments — a Daughters of the Confederacy memorial and the remnants of another Confederate soldier monument — arguing that they are a civic blight rooted in racism.
But the board ultimately voted against the measure 13-6 following a passionate public debate.
Opponents argued that the monuments represent Jacksonville’s history and should remain in place.
“I stand for the preservation of Jacksonville’s history in all its totality without the slightest omission,” one speaker declared.
“Please let us find another way to promote and foster unity and healing without taking away the statues,” he added.
Speakers before the City Council argued that the city should focus on different civic needs.
Another speaker argued it was a waste of resources and the city council should prioritize other civic needs.
“How is taking the statues away improving the lives of any Americans?” she asked.
Meanwhile, supporters of the bill insisted that keeping the statues amounts to supporting “treason.”
“The city council should not support any monuments that support racism or treason or sedition and that is what those monuments are for,” the woman declared. “There is no reason to have them on city property.”
Another backer of the proposal said getting rid of the monuments would promote unity within the city.
“I would like this city council to provide a way for the city to heal,” she said. “The healing can’t start until you stop putting salt in the wounds. Confederate monuments, statues and anything associated with the Confederacy is wrong.”
The plan would have removed a Daughters of the Confederacy memorial in Springfield as well as the remnants of a Confederate soldier statue in the city’s James Weldon Johnson Park.
The panel did not discuss the measure before voting it down.
