TAMPA (970 WFLA) -- Hillsborough County Commissioner Stacy White doesn't believe veterans memorials, no matter what war they represent, should be removed. and at today's Commission meeting (Wednesday), he's proposing an ordinance that would protect all war memorials.
It comes amid a fierce and sometimes violent debate over Confederate Civil War monuments nationwide. One person died in violence that stemmed from a Confederate monument's potential removal in Charlottesville, Virginia. A crowd tore down a Confederate statue in Durham, North Carolina, and vandals attacked a memorial on private property in Seffner.
"I see what a real slippery slope we're on here", White says, "and the bottom line is, we want to honor our veterans that answered the call of duty. He worries that future generations might want to tear down monuments dedicated to veterans of other wars in future decades, such as the Vietnam War.
White says he's prepared to discuss the possibility of a referendum on the removal of the Confederate statue. Last month, commissioners voted to send the monument to a private cemetery in Brandon, once sufficient funds are raised.