ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A possible new location for one of the Confederate memorials is St. Augustine has been announced.
St. Augustine City Manager John Regan is proposing to the city commission to move the memorial to Trout Creek Fish Camp located at 6550 FL-13 N. St., in St. Johns County,
Property was offered up by its owner, Randy Ringhaver, according to a news release from St. Augustine. Ringhaver told city officials he'd pay for the removal and moving the monument to his property.
The location is a park on the western side of St. Johns County. It is not inside the city limits of St. Augustine.
"The Trout Creek offer includes building a park setting with lighting, sidewalks, and seating so that the memorial can be visited for generations to come," the city news release states.
“The denial from the Veteran’s Administration to relocate the memorial to our local National Cemetery, nor any other national cemetery, made it clear that Mr. Ringhaver’s proposal provides the best solution,” City Manager John Regan stated in the news release. “His offer not only preserves the memorial but also provides the respect that the City Commission requires, and the community demands in determining an appropriate final location.
"Mr. Ringhaver has offered to construct, at his cost, a foundation that will survive the test of time beyond any typical engineering standard. The land is privately owned, but it is different from all other private land offers in that it is a commercial marina with a park that allows public access. Mr. Ringhaver’s vision for the new site location provides the preservation and reverence that is so important to our community," Regan stated in the news release.
Earlier this summer, the city commission voted 3-2 to remove the Confederate memorial from the downtown Plaza de la Constitucion.
Many people have protested to have it removed at well as to keep it in place in the last few months. Protests also took place in 2018.
The memorial displays the names of local residents who died fighting for the Confederacy.
The Military Museum of North Florida, a private museum with public access located in Green Cove Springs, Clay County, was willing to accept the memorial as part of their artifact display; however, as it is located outside of St. Johns County, this option would be substantially more expensive to relocate due to the travel distance, bridge weight limits, bridge widths and geography of the river, according to the city news release. All costs of this relocation option would be at the City’s expense, the news release states.