JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A profane anti-Biden flag that caused controversy ahead of Friday’s TaxSlayer Gator Bowl was momentarily removed, before it was hoisted again.
The flag that uses the F-word and President Joe Biden’s name was hung atop a crane near TIAA Bank Field, where thousands of visitors were Friday for the bowl game.
Jacksonville City Council members who visited the site Friday morning along with city officials told News4JAX an official with JaxPort said the flag would be removed Friday.
News4JAX saw the flag still flying just after 11 a.m. -- after the bowl game had kicked off. A couple of hours later the flag was removed, but was back up again shortly before 5 p.m.
We’ve reached out to the owner of the property where the crane is docked, but we haven’t heard back yet. It’s unclear who actually operates the crane.
News4JAX requested comment from Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry’s office on Thursday. A spokesperson said the city was working to find out which contractor placed the flag on the crane.
Pastor R.L. Gundy, who first told News4JAX about the flag, said the flag sent the wrong message about Jacksonville, regardless of political beliefs.
“This is not Jacksonville. This is not who we are. We have our differences, and we don’t want people coming to Jacksonville from around the world to see a sign, a partisan sign near our stadium near our bridge,” Gundy said.
Gundy said he reached out to Councilman Reggie Gaffney, State Sen. Audrey Gibson, Rep. Al Lawson and other senators at the federal level, including Sen. Marco Rubio, in reference to the flag.
Gundy said he wants the contractors who hung the flag to be identified and held responsible.