The Jacksonville City Council voted Nov. 9 to withdraw a bill that would have funded removal of The Tribute to the Women of the Confederacy monument in Springfield Park.
The 12-6 vote to pull Ordinance 2021-0752 makes the future of the Confederate monument uncertain.
Council member Reggie Gaffney made the motion to withdraw the bill.
Some council members said removing the bill would allow time for the city, citizens and business groups like the Jacksonville Civic Council to develop a process to address all Confederate and historical markers monuments in Duval County.
Some speaking against the withdrawal said it showed a lack of leadership by the Council.
Members Aaron Bowman; Michael Boylan; LeAnna Cumber; Randy DeFoor; Terrance Freeman; Joyce Morgan; Ju’Coby Pittman; Brenda Priestly Jackson; Ron Salem; Randy White; Gaffney and Council President Sam Newby supported the withdrawal.
Voting against were Danny Becton; Matt Carlucci; Garrett Dennis; Rory Diamond; Al Ferraro; and Kevin Carrico.
Mayor Lenny Curry filed the bill in October as part of a pledge he made during Black Lives Matter protests in June 2020 to remove all Confederate monuments on city property.
After the vote, Curry tweeted about the Council’s decision.
“Tonight the City Council disappointingly denied a step toward real progress in Our City by refusing to vote on the removal of a divisive monument from public land,” Curry wrote.
The Council's decision to withdraw the legislation means the Curry administration or a Council member would have to introduce a new bill to consider paying for the statue's removal again.
The vote followed nearly 90 minutes of Council debate where outbursts from those who opposed and supported the 106-year-old monument’s removal caused Newby to clear the Council chambers of the public except for news media and security.
There have been weeks of public debate from individuals and activist groups since Curry filed the bill.
The Civic Council weighed in the day before the vote with a letter sent to Curry, Newby and the other 17 Council members calling for a withdrawal or postponement and supporting a more detailed process.
