U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is calling for Florida lawmakers to come back to work for a special session to remove a statue of a Confederate general selected to represent Florida in Washington, D.C.
Wasserman Schultz’s comments come after several protests erupted -- most notably in Charlottesville, Va., -- in recent days objecting and supporting the removal of statues of Confederate figures nationwide.
Wasserman Schultz called for the removal of the statute of General Edmund Kirby Smith, a Florida native who was one of seven Confederate officers to reach and keep the rank of full general during the Civil War.
The statue, she explained, was “shameful” and should be removed since it signifies a “painful, disgraceful legacy.”
“It’s time to stop playing games,” Wasserman Schultz said. “No family visiting our nation’s Capitol should have to explain to their child that the statue representing our state honors someone who fought for a philosophy built on hatred and oppression.”
Wasserman Schultz then said Florida lawmakers needed to come back to Tallahassee for an emergency one-day special session during upcoming committee weeks to pass a bill replacing Kirby Smith with a statue of other key figures in Florida’s history, choosing from either Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Mary McLeod Bethune or George W. Jenkins.
Last year, Gov. Rick Scott signed legislation to remove the statue after a lengthy debate on the presence of Confederate symbols in the Sunshine State.
The law Scott signed called on the Florida Arts Council and the Department of State to determine how much it would cost to replace the statue, including the costs of removing the old statue and creating a new statue.
The problem became selecting a replacement for Kirby Smith, since none of the other possible figures were ever able to get out of the Legislature and to the governor’s office for approval.
Bills attached to each historical figure all either failed to receive hearings or didn’t pass both chambers during the 2017 legislative session.
So for now, Kirby Smith’s statue stays.
Scott's office said there were no plans to hold a special session on the statue.
"The Legislature meets in January, where they can take up this issue, and Governor Scott has no plans to call a special session," Scott's communications director John Tupps told Sunshine State News.
House Speaker Richard Corcoran fired back at Wasserman Schultz Tuesday afternoon, calling her a typical "out of touch" politician in Washington.
"We've already made this decision and now we are having a conversation about which great Floridian we should honor," he said. "The Congresswoman should stop grandstanding and focus on balancing the federal budget."
The issue of removing Confederate monuments spiraled out of control Saturday when a group of white nationalists descended upon Charlottesville, Va., to protest the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, the Confederacy’s most important general during the Civil War.
The protest quickly turned violent as white supremacists clashed with anti-racism protesters, leaving one person dead and several more injured.
Charlottesville isn’t the only place where demonstrators are calling for the statues to go.
Protesters in North Carolina toppled a Confederate monument Monday evening, while local government officials took matters into their own hands and removed a Confederate statue in Gainesville while another monument was vandalized Monday evening.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
