Last month, the Hillsborough County Commissioners voted to remove the Confederate state monument in Tampa. Now, the Tampa Bay Times reports, the commissioners are trying to avoid upholding their promise.
If the money needed to move Tampa's Confederate monument can't be raised privately in 30 days, then the statue will stay where it is, Hillsborough County Commissioners decided Wednesday.
...A private fundraising effort to move the monument had raised about $11,835 at the time of the vote. Hillsborough officials estimate about $140,000 more is needed to move the monument and prepare the new site.
It was only last month when the commissioners voted 4-2 to take down the monument—and move it to a different site. Now they’re trying to use technicalities to avoid the removal of the statue.
Commissioner Les Miller, the county's lone black commissioner and the catalyst for removing the monument from the Tampa courthouse, said Wednesday's decision was a backdoor attempt to reverse last month's vote.
"I will be highly surprised if we are able to raise those dollars in 30 days," he said. "I would hope that we don't have a Charlottesville, Va., in Hillsborough County. I pray that we don't."
Making the removal of Tampa’s Confederate statues dependent on privately raised funds was suggested by Commissioner Victor Crist, who originally voted against the removal of the statue in June. He did not vote during the July meeting when the statute removal was finally approved.