State Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-33

At a time when monuments to Confederate leaders and even American presidents have come under scrutiny in some parts of the country, State Sen. Jonathan Martin has sponsored a bill in the Florida Senate which would prohibit local governments from removing any historical monument, memorial, statue, flag, plaque or painting. The bill threatens officials who break the law with removal from office by the governor.

Martin, R-33, said the impetus for the legislation was not actually about confederate monuments but a reaction to the removal of a statue of Christopher Columbus in St. Petersburg. The law, he said, is retroactive to 2020. While that event occurred in 2019, the law would be appliable to Fort Myers officials who removed a Robert E. Lee monument in 2021.

The monument, with a bust of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, has been the subject of an ongoing dispute after the bust was removed by a group claiming ownership, and the city subsequently removed the monument base. A large painting of Lee that overlooks the chambers of the Lee County Board of County Commissioners where the commissioners sit has previously been the subject of ire by civil rights groups.

Martin, whose district includes most of Lee County, said in response to questions that “American and Floridian history is important for everyone who lives in and visits our state.” In an emailed statement, he said “I join millions of people across the state who disagree with all of the atrocities in our nation’s and state’s history. We must remind ourselves what happened in the past so that we can embrace the good and shun the bad. In order to do that, we should ensure that residents and visitors alike can learn from our past (mistakes and successes alike) so that we can continue to make Florida a better state.”

The proposed law states that “an accurate and factual history belongs to all Floridians and future generations and the state has an obligation to protect and preserve such history. Accordingly, the state preempts any local governments elected officials who may be swayed by undue influence by groups who may feel offended or hurt by certain actions in the history of the state or the nation.”

Asked why the bill was a priority for his office, Martin said “I am focused on making Lee County a great place to live, work, and raise a family. This bill is one of many that will help ensure those who grow up here and travel throughout the State are able to learn as much about our history as possible.”

The law creates an exception for construction projects that require the statues, monuments or memorials to be temporarily displaced though they would have to be restored to the original location. Failure by local governments to do so would not only jeopardize the positions of local officials but would result in the officials facing civil penalties and reimbursement to the state for the cost of the replacement of the monuments. Governments unable to fund the replacement would have their state funding for the arts, cultural and historical preservation frozen.

While Confederate monuments and other symbols from the Confederacy have been the subject of heated debate for years, there has been a recent reaction in some cities against other monuments. Dozens of statues of Columbus have been removed in cities across the country due to a more critical view of the settler’s treatment of Native Americans and statues of American presidents Thomas Jefferson and Teddy Roosevelt were removed from sites in New York City due to historical revisionist movements.

Among the other bills Martin has filed for the new state legislative session is a bill to create new penalties for illegal gambling houses, illegal slot machines and illegal lotteries.