Hayward made the remarks during a radio interview with Andrew McKay of NewsRadio 1620, framing the issue as one of historical context and community unity.
Revisiting Pensacola’s Confederate Monument
Though Pensacola was under Confederate control for only about sixteen months, the city was not spared from the wave of Confederate revisionism that swept across the South after Reconstruction. Monuments celebrating Confederate leaders and mythology were constructed in hundreds of cities, including Pensacola.
In 1889, Florida Square—overlooking downtown from North Hill—was renamed in honor of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Two years later, in 1891, a 50-foot monument was erected at the center of the park.
The monument is dedicated to Confederate president Jefferson Davis, Pensacola-born Confederate veterans Stephen R. Mallory and Edward Aylesworth Perry, and “the Uncrowned Heroes of the Southern Confederacy.” The granite column is topped with a statue of a generic Confederate soldier, modeled after a monument erected in Alexandria, Virginia.
Mayor Hayward’s Position
“Pensacola has a rich and diverse history and it is important to honor our history,” Hayward said in a public statement. “We will continue to promote inclusivity, but as you see across the nation, these Confederate monuments are becoming increasingly divisive.”
Hayward noted that the city is currently reviewing the monument’s history, legal considerations, and the steps necessary to move forward. The mayor emphasized that while he would like to see the monument placed in a more appropriate context, any action must comply with applicable laws and formal procedures.
In 2015, Hayward removed the Confederate flag from several municipal displays, replacing it with the Florida state flag as part of an earlier effort to re-examine symbols associated with the Confederacy.
Legal Questions and City Policy
One key uncertainty is whether Hayward is bound by a city council policy adopted in 2000. That policy—which predates Pensacola’s shift to a mayor-council form of government in 2010—requires city council approval before any historical monument or marker is removed.
As of now, it is unclear whether that policy still applies to the executive authority of the mayor’s office.
Growing Support Among City Leaders
Several city council members voiced support for Hayward’s initiative. City Council President Brian Spencer cited the influential 2017 speech by New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu on the removal of Confederate monuments, saying it illuminated the distinction between remembrance and reverence:
“For me, this expands the question from a simple ‘should we remove or not remove’ to one where we must ask ourselves if we are proud or ashamed of our monuments that revere intolerable actions of our past.”
Councilman Larry B. Johnson also issued a statement condemning white supremacists, neo-Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan, and other hate groups. He argued that the monument no longer belongs in a public park overlooking the city:
“For many, Pensacola’s Confederate monument is a symbol of hate and of a shameful period in our city’s past. I absolutely support the mayor in his plans to remove the monument and hope that it can be moved to a museum or other appropriate location where it can be placed in the proper context.”
A Regional Movement Gains Momentum
Should Pensacola move forward, it would join a growing number of Southern cities that have removed or relocated Confederate monuments in recent years.
The University of Texas at Austin removed a statue of Jefferson Davis in 2015. Louisville, Kentucky removed a large Confederate monument in 2016. New Orleans removed four major Confederate statues in 2017 after an extended legal battle.
In the days following the white supremacist terrorist attack in Charlottesville, Virginia, additional monuments were removed in cities such as Baltimore, Gainesville, and St. Petersburg. Protesters toppled one in Durham, North Carolina, while leaders in Lexington, Kentucky, and Birmingham, Alabama announced plans to pursue removal of monuments in their
cities.
Pensacola’s ongoing debate reflects a broader national reckoning with public symbols, historical memory, and how communities choose to commemorate their past.