During this week’s regular meeting, the Milton City Council voted unanimously to table discussion on whether the Confederate flag should be flown in Milton.
Recently the Confederate flag has been center of controversy across the country and the same issue was brought before council in last week’s executive committee meeting.
Mayor Wesley Meiss decided to bring the issue before the council at last week’s meeting after being interviewed by Santa Rosa Press Gazette on the topic just prior to that meeting.
“The reason I brought it up in the council meeting was because the Santa Rosa Press Gazette was doing a story on it,” Meiss said. “One thing I pride myself on with this council is being open and transparent. I did not want the council to pick up the newspaper on Wednesday and to read this without hearing about it first.”
In addition to seeking the council’s input on whether a Confederate flag should be on display on both city property and the city’s official seal at last week’s meeting, Meiss also suggested the council consider removing the city’s Bonnie Blue flag from the Heritage Plaza and feature a tribal flag representing the Santa Rosa County Creek Indian Tribe. Council member Lloyd Hinote serves as the vice chief of the local Native American Tribe.
“It was my idea and I brought it up,” Meiss said. “I immediately thought of the Santa Rosa Creek Indian Tribe. For years, the Santa Rosa Creek Indian Tribe has done great things.”
Meiss cited the local tribe’s involvement with organizing Native American Powwows, their participation in the annual Santa Rosa Historical Society’s Ghost Walk tours, among other contributions. The tribe is also active in visiting local schools and educating students on area Native American history and culture.
The mayor also shared his stance on the city’s display on the Bonnie Blue Flag, which represents the short-lived Republic of West Florida dating back to the early 1800’s.
“The Bonnie Blue flag is historically inaccurate and it does not belong in the City of Milton. It would be no different if we flew the flag of Mexico, the Canadian flag or the flag of Nicaragua. It does not represent us and it never has.”
Meiss said he was unable to hear Hinote’s point of view until Tuesday’s meeting, due to Florida Sunshine Laws.
Hinote said the Mayor’s suggestion to have the tribal flag among the city’s six flags caught him by surprise. The councilman said Mayor’s comment caused a “firestorm” in which residents phoned, personally visited and sent online messages to Hinote pertaining to the topic.
“We got more reaction on this then I think then we have on some of our other issues,” Hinote said during the meeting.
Hinote also stated the tribe’s stance on having tribal flag fly in Milton.
“The fact is we are not trying as a tribe to fly our flag in any place where it hasn’t been flown before or replace any flags,” Hinote said. “Our tribe has been ridiculed because of this, because people assumed that we were trying to do this; I guess because I sit here (on the council).”
During his statement at the meeting, Hinote stressed on several occasions his tribe has “no desire or intentions” of having their flag on official display in the city.
“If you hear of anyone saying the Santa Rosa County Creek Indian Tribe or any other tribe is trying to have the city fly their flag, please dispel that,” Hinote said. “To my knowledge that is not so in anyway.”
In regards to the Confederate flag itself, Council member Jimmy Messick said in last week’s council meeting the executive committee agreed to postpone any action on the issue allowing the council to further conduct research and hear input from their constituents.
“I haven’t had the chance to do any study that I would like to do,” Messick said. “I believe it is a non-issue in Milton and no action should be taken on it.”
Meiss also restated his stance on the Confederate flag from the executive committee meeting.
“It’s hard for me because I see it both ways,” he said.
Meiss explained the his family’s history is full of southern heritage, however as a historian the same flag is “part of a dark chapter in history as well.”
Following Messick’s motion to table the item, fellow council member Mary Ellen Johnson also shared her thoughts. Johnson said she and the other council members need more time to further research the issue before making any decision on the matter.
“We do not need to move on emotion and we need to have as much knowledge as possible,” she said. “I do know without history we have no reference to moving in the future. I would strongly suggest we move forward and we find more information and if there is future need to do anything other than what we have to make things positive that we table the issue.”
Johnson also stated the council should not allow outside governmental entities to set the example for how the City of Milton operates.
“We set the example,” Johnson said. “We will not allow any other county or any other body to come in and set the standard for Milton, Florida.”
An attendee inquired what had happened to the Confederate flag on display in Milton, Meiss said City Manager Brian Watkins informed him it had been stolen and a replacement flag had been ordered. Watkins said there was some difficulty in ordering a replacement flag.
“The issue was once it came down all of the vendors we used to order flags at that point no longer sold any form of Confederate flag,” Watkins said. “So we had to go out and find another vendor that would make them and sell them to us.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Council tables decision on Confederate flag