Removing Confederate statue from Springfield Park could outgo astatine slightest $1.29 million

Statue covered successful tarp and enactment successful Springfield Park connected July 22, 2021.

Statue covered successful tarp and enactment successful Springfield Park connected July 22, 2021.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Three members of the Jacksonville City Council accidental they enactment the removing of the Confederate monument astatine Springfield Park, which it was precocious revealed could outgo much than $1 cardinal to do.

A quality merchandise from the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville reveals emails from 3 antithetic City Council members, who each backed the removal of the monument.

The emails from the Council members were successful effect to an archetypal email from Ben Frazier, president of the Northside Coalition, addressed to each members of City Council. The 3 members who Frazier had received responses from by Wednesday evening included Reggie Gaffney, Ju’Coby Pittman and Matt Carlucci, who precocious announced he’s moving for mayor.

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“We applaud Council members Matt Carlucci, Reginald Gaffney and Ju’Coby Pittman for having the governmental integrity to determination the metropolis guardant successful the close direction. We expect that determination volition beryllium others who volition besides travel connected board,” Frazier said successful a prepared statement.

According to an email obtained Sunday nighttime by News4Jax from the metropolis to City Council, the imaginable $1.29 cardinal terms tag to region the Women of the Southern Confederacy monument from the parkland does not see further expenses that would beryllium related to storing oregon preserving the statue. The email, which came from Chief Administrative Officer Brian Hughes, said the metropolis volition soon inquire the Council to o.k. the authorities to region the monument.

In June 2020, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry ordered that the Confederate statue successful what was past known arsenic Hemming Park, present James Weldon Johnson Park, beryllium removed. At that time, Curry besides announced that each Confederate monuments successful the metropolis would beryllium removed.

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The Northside Coalition past month called for Curry to travel done with that promise. Its email to the City Council erstwhile again renews that call.

Frazier says the monument is simply a awesome of radical issues plaguing the city.

“What we person is simply a large occupation with radical relations that fewer achromatic politicians truly privation to admit. They privation to look the different mode and enactment arsenic everything present is OK. It’s not,” Frazier said.

Carlucci told News4Jax helium came to the determination aft months of conversations with constituents.

“I conscionable deliberation that it’s clip to grip that issue. So, I made that determination that I thought the statue should beryllium removed and I deliberation it volition bring a healing to Jacksonville amongst a batch of radical and assistance Jacksonville determination up to the future,” Carlucci said.

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Seber Newsome, who lives successful Yulee, is simply a protagonist of keeping the monument wherever it stands. He called Carlucci’s endorsement a governmental stunt, and helium believes the full outgo of moving the monument volition beryllium higher than the $1.29 million.

“That’s a low-ball figure. Then what? Another 1.3 cardinal to enactment it backmost unneurotic again,” helium said.

It volition instrumentality a bulk ballot successful City Council to get the monument moved retired of Springfield.

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