A Florida Republican has re-filed a measure to penalize local governments attempting to remove or destroy Confederate monuments and other historic memorials.

HB 496 by Sen. Stan McClain, an Ocala Republican, demands the state protect “each historic Florida monument or memorial from removal, damage, or destruction.” It’s the fourth time this bill has been introduced in successive legislative sessions as part of a broader conservative response to the nationwide movement to down or rename Confederate statues.

“The Legislature finds that an accurate and factual history belongs to all Floridians and future generations and that the state has an obligation to protect and preserve such history,” the bill reads.

Sen. Stan McClain (Florida House)

Local government officials who try to take

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