Central Florida city flies Confederate flag at City Hall

Belleview officials honor Confederate History Day

BELLEVIEW, Fla. – A small Central Florida town on Wednesday raised a Confederate flag at City Hall for Confederate History Day.

The flag was raised in Belleview as part of a ceremony by a local chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Charles Kadel, the 8th Brigadier Commander for the Florida Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, said he has been raising the flag in front of Belleview's City Hall for the past 10 years.

"It's not just the Confederate flag. It's the third national flag of Confederacy. You know, it's not just a battle flag. The battle flag was strictly for battle," Kadel said.

Belleview Mayor Christine Dobowski said as of Tuesday morning, she hadn't heard of any pushback.

"We haven't had any controversy in the city. We haven't had anyone come to our meetings and complain.  We haven't had any formal complaints regarding the issue," Dobkowski said.

But some people in the area told News 6 they have an issue with the display.

"This flag is oppressive to black people and people of color and it needs to stay in the history books," Francine Julius Edwards said. 

The city released a statement Tuesday on its website:

"The observation of Confederate Memorial Day occurring at Belleview City Hall (on) April 26th is not an event sponsored by the city of Belleview. The grounds were requested on behalf of a local group who are hosting the event and are in no way affiliated with the city of Belleview."


The Civil War took place between 1861 and 1865. According to the city's website, Belleview was founded in 1884 and it was incorporated in 1885, nearly 20 years after the war ended.

Kadel said the significance of raising the flag in Belleview is about the bigger picture.

"It's not just slavery. It's all about, you know, states' rights. You know, people defending their homes," Kadel said.

Dobkowski said there had been talk about moving the flag to a cemetery so as not to upset anyone. She said that would have to be discussed at a council meeting.

Belleview, a town of about 5,000 residents, is located 70 miles northwest of Orlando.

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