Bill would empower DeSantis to ax local officials who take down Confederate monuments

A bill that would give Gov. Ron DeSantis powers to prevent local municipalities from removing existing monuments and murals has been formally introduced in Florida.

The bill comes three years after a mayor in the state drew controversy when he ordered a bronze statue of a Confederate soldier banished from a park.

If passed, HB-395 could empower the Florida governor to cut elected officials from power.

“An elected official acting in his or her official capacity who knowingly and willfully violates this section is subject to removal from office by the Governor,” the bill’s text reads.

It also could grant the ability to impose steep fines on any official involved in removing or damaging the fixtures. The fine would be $5,000 or the cost of the removal and replacement of the monument; whichever is more expensive, according to WFLA.

And if they go through with a removal, they could be liable for triple the amount required to restore the fixture and could face unspecified “punitive damages."

On June 9, 2020, a 125-year-old statue of a Confederate soldier was taken down from Hemming Park in Jacksonville, Florida with the use of a crane.

The predawn hour effort was ordered by then-Mayor Lenny Curry, a Republican.

“The confederate monument is gone. And the others in this city will be removed as well,” Curry said after the unannounced effort was complete. “We hear your voices. We have heard your voices.”

Protest followed against the unilateral dismembering of the statue.

The bill would also apply retroactively to “any monuments or memorials that have been removed, damaged, or destroyed on or after January 1, 2017.”

Confederate statues have remained a hot-button topic ever since white Nationalists convened on Aug. 12, 2017, for “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, which ended when a 20-year-old Ohio man drove his car into counter-protesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and leaving 19 others injured, including five critically.