The city of Lakeland tallied the cost of moving the Confederate monument from Munn Park to Veterans Park at about $185,000, which was about $40,000 less than anticipated. The largest part went to the Tampa moving contractor, whose $165k payment was $15k higher than the original estimate because they ended up engineering and constructing a new base for the monument.
Workers in Munn Park got two surprises as they removed the Confederate monument that’s being reconstructed in Veterans Park:
Crews started dismantling the Confederate monument in Munn Park this morning as city officials, news crews and a sparse crowd gathered to watch. A crane lifted the statue of a Confederate soldier off its supporting plinth around 10 a.m.
After the jump, view photos and a video from the moments when the soldier was lifted away from the column that has supported it since 1910: More
Scaffolding will go up around the Confederate Monument in Munn Park the middle of next week as city workers continue preparations to move it to Veterans Park, City Manager Tony Delgado told commissioners Friday. More
With a federal court challenge behind them, the Lakeland City Commission today directed City Manager Tony Delgado to proceed with plans to move a 109-year-old Confederate monument from the center of Munn Park downtown to its new home, a gentle slope overlooking Veterans Park and Lake Beulah. More
The suit trying to stop the moving of the Confederate statue has been dismissed. The United States District Court has dismissed the lawsuit with an 18-page report reprinted below.
Previous LkldNow coverage of the lawsuit.
LkldNow will have a report on the story later today. More
A lawsuit is slowing, but not halting, preparations to move Lakeland’s Confederate monument from Munn Park to Veterans Park, City Attorney Tim McCausland told city commissioners this morning. More
Save Southern Heritage, an organization that has been a vocal advocate for keeping the Confederate monument in Munn Park, has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to keep the city of Lakeland from moving the 108-year-old memorial to Veterans Park. More
After casting the deciding vote today that will allow the city to proceed with plans to move the Confederate monument out of Munn Park, Commissioner Stephanie Madden said it was the power of personal stories that persuaded her. More
The divisive issues around moving the Confederate monument from Munn Park to Veterans Park continued to divide Lakeland city commissioners Friday, with some suggesting voters should have a say during a January special election and others insisting they were elected to make tough but potentially unpopular decisions that benefit the community.
Commissioners discuss the monument again today when they will be asked toward the end of their 3 p.m. meeting to make a budget transfer to facilitate the monument move. More
