Florida Rep. pushes to eliminate holidays honoring Confederate leaders

The Confederate flag is waved by supporters in protest of its removal from the Capitol, 01 July 2000 in Columbia, SC. (Photo credit should read ERIK PEREL/AFP via Getty Images)

State Rep. Mike Grieco, D-Miami Beach, wants lawmakers to eliminate legal holidays honoring the birthdays of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and Confederate President Jefferson Davis, along with a Confederate Memorial Day.

Grieco on Thursday filed a bill (HB 6007) to remove the Lee, Davis and Confederate Memorial days from a list of legal holidays on the books in Florida.

A similar effort in 2018 was approved by one Senate committee but did not pass the Legislature. It drew objections from people who argued the proposal would erase Southern history.

Lee’s birthday, Jan. 19, and Confederate Memorial Day, April 26, have been legal holidays in Florida since 1895. Davis’ birthday, June 3, was added in 1905. Florida is one of five states that continues to keep Confederate Memorial Day a legal holiday, though legal holidays are not necessarily paid holidays for public employees.

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Other legal holidays that are not paid holidays include Susan B. Anthony’s birthday, Good Friday, Flag Day and Pascua Florida Day to mark the discovery of Florida in 1513 by Juan Ponce de Leon.

Grieco filed his proposal for consideration during the 2021 legislative session, which begins March 2.

Tune in to FOX 35 Orlando for the latest Central Florida news.

The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.