Most Jacksonville voters do not support removing the city’s Confederate monuments from public property, but the issue divides residents sharply along partisan and racial lines, according to a University of North Florida survey of 509 Duval County registered voters.

White voters overwhelmingly oppose moving them — 54 percent "strongly oppose" it — while 47 percent of black voters "strongly support" removing them. The issue drives a similarly divisive dynamic along party lines, with Democrats overwhelmingly in favor and Republicans opposed.

The issue came to a head in August when City Council President Anna Brosche — responding to violence and chaos in Charlottesville, Va. sparked by white nationalists — called for an inventory of the city’s Confederate monuments so they can be removed from public property and placed into museums or other locations where they can be "historically contextualized." She has yet to propose any legislation.

Jacksonville’s most prominent monument is the 62-foot Vermont granite monument in Hemming Park, installed in 1898, that sits just feet away from City Hall and is topped by the bronze figure of a Confederate solider in winter uniform, representing the Jacksonville Light Infantry, a Confederate military company.

The survey highlights how difficult building support for any option addressing the monuments will be.

Mayor Lenny Curry has refused to say whether he supports removing them.

Overall, about 53 percent of voters oppose removal, while about 38 percent are in favor.

Photos: Jacksonville's Confederate monuments

Brosche’s move prompted backlash as well as a chorus of support, though it’s not clear the issue has had much of an impact on her public profile. Most voters surveyed by UNF didn’t have an opinion about her. Among those who do, most — about 28.6 percent — support her.

"With these sizable partisan and racial differences on this issue, I just hope that emotions stay in check and ultimately we come to a resolution that everybody can live with," said Michael Binder, a UNF political science professor who oversaw the survey.

The survey found that Jacksonville’s elected officials are generally popular across party lines, which has not been unusual in UNF surveys the past several years. But voters also have concerns about local policy issues.

About 65 percent of voters, for example, say the city is not doing enough to help its homeless population, and a majority — about 52 percent — say downtown is not appealing to young people. Crime is the overwhelming top concern among city voters.

The survey was conducted Oct. 2-4 and has a 4.3 percent margin of error. About 40 percent of the 509 voters surveyed were Democrats, and 37.5 percent were Republicans. The rest have no partisan affiliation or support a third party.

Nate Monroe: (904) 359-4289