JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Before first light on Wednesday, construction crews began the process of removing a Confederate statue in Springfield Park that has long been the subject of debate in Jacksonville. By 11 a.m., the monument had been taken down.
Following a similar process undertaken in 2020 to remove a Confederate statue from what was then known as Hemming Park outside City Hall, crews staged overnight and before sunrise began the work of taking down the monument.
During Mayor Donna Deegan’s candidacy, she said she would support the removal of Confederate monuments. On Wednesday, she released a statement about the Springfield Park monument’s removal:
“This is not in any way an attempt to erase history but to show that we’ve learned from it -- that when we know better, we do better by and for each other,” Deegan said. “My prayer today is for our beautiful city to continue embracing unity and bending the arc of history toward justice. Let’s keep lifting as we climb.”
The statement from the Mayor’s Office said the Springfield Park memorial was erected during the peak of early 20th-century Confederate monument-building, part of a widespread campaign to promote and justify Jim Crow laws in the South and intimidate African Americans.
“Symbols matter. They tell the world what we stand for and what we aspire to be,” Deegan said in the statement. “By removing the Confederate monument from Springfield Park, we signal a belief in our shared humanity. That we are all created equal. The same flesh and bones. The same blood running through our veins. The same heart and soul.”
Previously called Confederate Park, Springfield Park was renamed in 2020, not long after the Confederate statue was removed overnight from what was then Hemming Park outside City Hall. That park has since been renamed James Weldon Johnson Park.
The pedestal for the monument in James Weldon Johnson Park wasn’t removed until May of this year, and the monument was recently returned to the Hemming family, as the city promised when it was removed.
It’s unclear what will be done with the Springfield Park monument, which was moved to a warehouse in the Brentwood neighborhood.
MORE COVERAGE: Surprise removal of Confederate monument garners strong, mixed reactions from Jacksonville residents | ‘Donna Deegan is our Mayor, not our Monarch’: Councilman criticizes removal of Confederate monument in Springfield | Despite outcry, Mayor Deegan says she had legal authority to remove Confederate monument, and it wasn’t a secret | Historian: Springfield Park Confederate monument was put up to intimidate Black residents during Jim Crow era | ‘He would say great job Jacksonville’: Daughter of late civil rights activist remembers father as statue comes down | Take Em Down Jax, Springfield residents celebrate end of years-long battle to remove Confederate monument
Cost of removal
Deegan explained that the large statue within the monument and the smaller statue on top were being removed with funding made available through a grant that the Jessie Ball duPont Fund and anonymous donors made to 904WARD. The plaque is also being removed and engravings of the pedestal will be covered with temporary plaques.
The cost of this work is $187,000 in an agreement between 904WARD and ACON Construction, the Mayor’s Office said.
“An inclusive community begins with a commitment to fostering unity, inclusivity, and social progress,” 904WARD said in a statement. “Confederate monuments, often erected during periods of racial tension and division, serve as painful reminders of a divisive past and contribute to a climate that perpetuates inequality. 904WARD is committed to our vision of an end to racism in Jacksonville so that all people can thrive. Today, because of partners like the Jessie Ball duPont Fund and Mayor Deegan and her industrious effort to create a Jacksonville that everyone can call home, we are one step closer to our goal.”
Jessie Ball duPont Fund President Mari Kuraishi also released a statement about their part in funding the monument’s removal:
“Great cities are anchored by inclusive public spaces that welcome all. The Jessie Ball duPont Fund helped fund the removal of the Springfield Park Confederate statue so that our public spaces might be more welcoming and inclusive for all Jaxsons. Removing – but not erasing – statues that commemorate the Confederacy from public lands is critical to creating communities where everyone feels they belong.
We applaud Mayor Donna Deegan’s bold action and clarity of vision. We are grateful to nonprofit partners like 904ward who are leading equity work in our city.
Funding this work continues our engagement on the issue of monuments and commemoration, which dates back more than five years, starting with hosting a series of community conversations about what to do with our Confederate monuments, and the longstanding offer from two years ago to pay for and facilitate additional public conversations in response to City Council interest. What we do next as a city now that the statue has been removed is just as important as the removal itself, and we look forward to continued conversations.”
Jessie Ball duPont Fund President Mari Kuraishi
Because city funds were not used or requested for the removal work, the Office of General Counsel found that City Council approval was not necessary and that the mayor could order the removal by executive authority.
VIEW: Civil War-related monuments and markers on city property
City Council member Nick Howland disagreed, giving News4JAX this statement:
Donna Deegan is our Mayor, not our Monarch. Waiting until the cover of night -- on a holiday evening no less -- before taking a backhoe to the 100-year-old ‘Women of the South’ monument in Springfield is a blatant overreach of her authority.
The City Council Finance Committee specifically mandated that any funding to be spent on the statue - whether for removal, relocation, or contextualization - must follow a Council policy decision. This was unanimously approved by the Council and signed by the Mayor.
Regardless of anyone’s personal opinion of this historic monument, Mayor Deegan’s actions are both an abuse of power and a blatant disregard for transparency.
This was City Council’s decision to make. Period.
City Councilman Nick Howland
In 2021, while Mayor Lenny Curry was still in office, the City Council said the price tag to remove the Women of the Southern Confederacy monument in Springfield Park would be around $1.29 million, and in June 2022, the City Council opted not to immediately remove the monument.
Opposition to removal
Local activist groups in favor of removing the monuments have been focused heavily on the 108-year-old Springfield Park monument since the one outside City Hall was removed. But supporters of keeping Confederate monuments have argued just as strongly to leave it where it is.
Pat Geer told News4JAX on Wednesday that watching the removal made him angry.
“In Tallahassee, there’s legislation going through there, and I hope they’re going to put that thing back because they’re not supposed to take them down and there will be Florida legislation to stop that in the future,” Geer said. “You haven’t heard the last of the other side, even though I’m the minority here. I felt compelled -- I needed to come out here and be a part of this.”
Geer was referring to a proposal in the Florida State Legislature that would punish lawmakers who vote to take down these monuments. It has not been passed yet.
RELATED | New legislation would punish lawmakers who vote to take down Confederate monuments
It’s unclear if the looming prospect of that legislation affected the timeline for the removal of the monument in Springfield Park.
Seber Newsome, a vocal opponent of Confederate monument removal you lives in Yulee, told News4JAX he thinks Deegan’s decision will make her “a one-term mayor.”
‘We don’t need racist iconography’
City Councilman Jimmy Peluso was among the crowd that gathered outside the park before daylight Wednesday morning, many of them celebrating the monument’s removal.
“This was a campaign promise that I made, so I’m incredibly excited to see this,” Peluso said. “I love the amount of folks that are out here this morning. Today is a day for healing. This city needs this big step to be taking place. We don’t need racist iconography in our city anymore.”
When the main part of the monument, a statue of a woman, was removed, most of the gathered group began celebrating.
“First of all, I’m speechless. I’m just searching for words,” Joe Ross said. “The emotion is so strong that I can’t hold back the tears. I feel like our city has finally reached a point where we can begin to heal.”
Kris Kiernan with Take ‘Em Down Jax said Confederate monuments symbolize oppression.
Peluso said that before Wednesday’s early morning activity, he told the Mayor’s Office he planned to file legislation about getting the monument removed, but they asked him to hold off.
“I was not made aware (of the removal plans),” Peluso said. “I believe that the administration was kind of holding this close to the chest, but I was in constant conversations with them, asking, ‘Hey, when is this thing coming down?’”
City Council President Ron Salem also said he was not in the loop about the statue’s removal.
“I acknowledge the removal of the Confederate monument from Springfield Park this morning, recognizing the complexities surrounding historical symbols. While understanding the desire for change, it’s crucial to ensure open dialogue and legislative oversight in an effort to promote a unified approach to addressing historical artifacts,” Salem said in a statement. “I was made aware of the removal this morning by Mayor Deegan. I encourage constructive dialogue to address any concerns among my colleagues and to find a shared path forward.”
As the monument was being removed early Wednesday morning, Northside Coalition of Jacksonville President Kelly Frazier released this statement:
“We hope this is truly the end for that hateful monstrosity in Springfield Park that glorifies the Confederacy. When it is gone, there will be another ray of hope for a brand new day in Jacksonville.”
The Jacksonville Civic Council, a non-partisan group of business leaders whose goal is to help resolve community issues, also released a statement about the monument’s removal:
“Great progress can occur when we all unite around a common vision and move our city forward. To move forward, it is time we put the issue of Confederate monuments behind us.
The Civic Council believes strongly that in the next decade our city can become a ‘destination of choice for all families and individuals, businesses, and graduates.’ Guided by our new strategic plan, we are working tirelessly with leaders and stakeholders across the community to make Jacksonville a world-class city.
Since 2017, the Jacksonville Civic Council has been clear on its position on the removal of Confederate monuments on city-owned land. On two separate occasions we called for the removal of the Confederate Monument in Springfield Park. When no action was taken, we proposed an alternative solution that would ensure all interested stakeholders had a place to listen and be heard, facilitated by an independent party. Again, no action was taken.
Today, action was taken. We applaud and support the Mayor’s decisive action.”
Jacksonville Civic Council
