Florida

Descendants of Confederate Veterans Sue North Florida City Over Monument Removal

St. Augustine commissioners voted 3-2 last week to remove the monument from a plaza in the city, where it has been in place since 1879

Over three dozen descendants of Confederate soldiers named on a memorial in one North Florida city are suing over plans to remove it.

NBC affiliate First Coast News reports that 38 descendants are listed in a lawsuit saying the city of St. Augustine voted to make the move “without first undergoing the legally required review process to prevent its damage or destruction."

City commissioners voted 3-2 last week to remove the monument from a plaza in the city, where it has been in place since 1879.

The commission made its decision after nine hours of testimony, including the reading out loud of more than 300 emails that illustrated the clear division among many of the city's residents.

The lawsuit, in which the Veterans Council of St. Johns County and the Military Officers Association of America are also named as plaintiffs, accuses Mayor Tracy Upchurch of persuading the commission to avoid a review.

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