Senate Minority leader Lauren Book will once again aim to remove Confederate legal holidays in the state of Florida, after filing SB 250 on Friday for the 2022 legislative session.
SB 250 is a revised version of SB 1116 – which was denied in the 2021 legislative session – that proposed the removal of legal holidays such as the birthdays of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and Confederate President Jefferson Davis, as well as Confederate Memorial Day.
Included in the new bill are two provisions that attempt to eliminate legal protections of Confederate flags and emblems included in Florida Statutes.
The first provision looks to amend section 256.051 that allows Floridians to fly Confederate flags and emblems for “decorative and patriotic purposes,” by excluding Confederate flags and emblems from the section entirely.
The second provision proposes the complete repeal of section 256.10 of Florida Statutes that prohibits the “mutilation of or disrespect for Confederate flags or replicas.” In other words, the section would be removed from Florida Statutes completely, and would no longer protect Confederate flags and emblems by law.
In a statement made by Booker in a Senate press release from February regarding SB 1116, she states, “As a State, we must underscore diversity and undercut tributes to the Confederacy, which upheld the institution of slavery. With the hate and divisiveness we’re seeing today, it is more important than ever to condemn racism and reaffirm that we are indeed one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all – not just for some.”
The press release also highlights Booker’s previous legislative attempts at removing Confederate holidays, with the first being in 2017 following the deadly Charlottesville rally and the “emboldened acts of White Supremacists, Neo-Nazis, and the KKK country-wide.”
The press release then says that the reason behind going after the holidays in the 2021 session was a result of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, “during which Confederate flags were seen carried and worn by insurrectionists,” the release states.
While the three holidays are not paid holidays for state employees, Lee’s birthday, Jan. 19, and Confederate Memorial Day, April 26, have been legal holidays in Florida since 1895. Davis’ June 3 birthday was added in 1905, according to The News Service of Florida. The report also states that Florida is one of only five other states that has kept Confederate Memorial Day a legal holiday
Booker’s proposal will look to be included in the upcoming legislative session for 2022 that will begin on January 11th.
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Casey Owens is a contributing writer for The Florida Capital Star. Follow him on Twitter at @cowensreports. Email tips to [email protected].
