Escambia County may fly Confederate flag

After hearing heated arguments against and for flying a Confederate flag at the Pensacola Bay Center, the Escambia Board of County Commissioners voted in favor of a resolution that gives the county the option of flying the same five flags there that the city of Pensacola flies at its public buildings.

The commissioners voted 3-2 in favor of the resolution, with District 3 Commissioner Lumon May and District 2 Commissioner Doug Underhill casting the dissenting votes. It changed the commissioners' decision in December to only fly the American and state of Florida flags at the Bay Center.

The resolution gives the county the option to display historical flags at county buildings that are consistent with the flags the city of Pensacola flies. The city buildings have the American, British, French, Spanish and the National Flag of the Confederacy.

The county previously displayed the American, French, Spanish, British, state and Confederate Battle flag, which is also known as the Battle Flag of the Army of Tennessee. Historians contend the Battle Flag never flew over Pensacola.

"We are not bringing back the Battle Flag," District 4 Commissioner Grover Robinson said.

He put the flag item on the agenda in December and again Thursday night.

But before the commissioners cast their votes, people weighed in. At one point, sheriff's deputies had to escort one opponent of the Confederate flag out of the commissioners' chambers.

"It's a symbol of an ideology," Rachel Sabree said. "It's a great insult to have that flag."

James Smith said the county should stick to the resolution it passed that allowed only flying the American and state of Florida flags at the Bay Center.

"It is an injustice," Katrina Ramos said about the Confederate flag. "I don't understand why this is an issue."

Pensacola City Councilwoman Sherri Myers said she doesn't like what the Confederate flag reminds her of and she isn't in favor of the city flying it either.

Phillip White said all of the flags that flew at the Bay Center previously and continue to fly there, the American, French, British, a Confederate, and the Spanish flags, represented some sort of transgressions by those countries throughout history.

Other speakers had similar arguments that White had, and one speaker argued flying all of the flags was a way to market the area for tourism.

"I'm appalled when people say taking the flag down will hurt tourism," May said. "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and I live in the state of Florida."

Underhill likened flying all of those flags next to each other to someone putting photos of his last four girlfriends on his mantle and then seeing how his wife would react.

District 1 Commissioner Wilson Robertson said the flag was an ode to Southern heritage and history.

"A lot of good people died over that flag," Robertson said in support of the Confederate flag.

"It seems what the city of Pensacola does has a reasonable outcome," BCC Chairman Steven Barry said.