Difficult questions and answers behind Confederate monument removal in Springfield Park

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The process behind removing the Confederate monument in Springfield Park is being questioned.

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On Tuesday, some Jacksonville City Council members brought their concerns to the city’s top lawyer in a public meeting. They said the problem is with the process, not the monuments.

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And even after questions were answered, many on the council still aren’t satisfied.

“I think we made our point and I think we prevent this from happening again and we need to move forward understanding,” City Council President Ron Salem said.

Salem called for the meeting. He immediately began raising questions after the release of the 17-page Office of General Counsel Opinion passed out by the mayor’s office.

Related Story: Jacksonville City Council to question city attorney over Confederate monument removal

“I want to see the final opinion, he said it could change a little bit, I want to see the final opinion, not a draft,” Salem said.

The City’s General Council Michael Fackler answered dozens of questions from council members. Many asked about the use of private funding for the removal saying the $187,000 should have gone through the city council.

The other big question: Could Mayor Deegan do this again and remove another historic structure if she wanted to?

Fackler’s short answer to that is yes, as long as the action wouldn’t violate specific code.

“There is a possibility it could occur again but there are plenty of ways to restrict this of what we found to be authority of the mayor.

Related Story: Final Confederate monument in Jacksonville comes down in Springfield Park

Council President Salem said Mayor Deegan’s action should concern all council members.

But Council Member Matt Carlucci believes there wasn’t any overreach by Mayor Deegan.

When asked if there were any concerns.

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“I’ve been concerned with the inactivity of this council for five years,” Carlucci said. “The council had five years to do something with this and in that instance, they kept saying wait, wait, wait. You know what wait means? Never, so someone had to take leadership.”

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