Yuval Shott, who commented on Auguste’s petition, was blunter.
“This name [Plantation] is wrong and is a stain on Broward County. About time it’s changed,” Shott wrote. The “History” section on the city’s website does not explain how Plantation got its name. According to an article in Wikipedia, the city’s name stems from the previous part-owner of the land, the Everglades Plantation Company, and their efforts to establish a rice plantation in the area.
How ever the city got its name, some people are apparently OK with the status quo.
“The word ‘Plantation’ means vast with trees and greenery, which is what our city is,” a commenter wrote. “It’s only negative if you let it be. It doesn’t HAVE to be a negative thing.”
The Parklander could not reach Plantation Mayor Lynn Stoner in time for this article.
On a larger scale, some people want the name for Broward County changed. In his petition on change.org, Kyle Hill wrote that the county’s namesake is former Florida Gov. Napoleon Bonaparte Broward, which information on the county’s website confirms.
“He’s best remembered for draining and developing parts of the Everglades,” Hill wrote. Broward was Florida’s 19th governor, serving from Jan. 3, 1905 to Jan. 5, 1909. He was a “noted racist, segregationist, and an arms smuggler,” Hill wrote. “In 2017, his statue was removed from the Broward County Courthouse because of his reprehensible views on race. Let’s finish the job and erase his name from the county altogether. Broward County is a minority-majority county with many of its residents either hailing from or having roots in Latin America, the Caribbean, and various diverse regions.”
An Oct. 10, 2017 article in the “Sun Sentinel” carried the headline “‘Racist’ statue of Broward County’s namesake to be removed from courthouse.” Barbara Sharief, who was county mayor at the time, told the newspaper that changing the county’s name was out of the question.
“I don’t even want to go down that road,” she said.
In his petition, which had netted more than 3,600 signatures at press time, Hill wrote that “if many of the residents of Broward County knew the true history of its namesake, I’m sure that they would
be horrified and ashamed. Hoping for change, praying for change, and marching for change are all good things, but at some point, we must be willing to take action.”
Current county officials did not return a call requesting comment. However, on a local T.V. channel in June, Broward County Mayor Dale Holness said that officials, for marketing purposes, have considered changing Broward County’s name to Ft. Lauderdale County.
“Maybe we can benefit in two ways, harmony and healing, and to benefit the brand of Ft. Lauderdale,” Holness said.
Elsewhere in Florida, “J.B.,” started a petition on change.org to change the name of Lee County in Southwest Florida. At press time, 5,681 people signed it.
“One of Southwest Florida’s most prominent counties, Lee County, is named for Civil War Confederate General Robert E. Lee,” J.B. wrote. “It is also home to
the city of Ft. Myers (named after Col. Abraham Myers, quartermaster general of the Confederate States Army).
“It’s time to stop idolizing these Confederate soldiers. Ending racism includes the removal of racist figures, statues, and idols across the south.”
An official with the Daughters of the Confederacy declined to comment.
In his petition, J.B. suggested changing Lee County’s name to Calusa County, honoring the indigenous Calusa tribe of Southwest Florida. In fact, there is a website dedicated to the cause: calusapetition.com. The website represents “the beginnings of a local movement,” according to the wording on the site. It notes that more than 3,000 people have signed a petition to the Florida state government to change the name of Lee County to Calusa County, “in honor of the Native American tribe that lived here for hundreds of years before European settlers arrived.
“The name ‘Lee’ honors a man who led armies into battle in an effort to preserve slavery and racial injustice,” the petition says. “Honoring Robert E. Lee’s legacy is no longer appropriate as we fight for justice and equality for black Americans facing oppression in counties all across the United States.”
Lee County Commissioner Frank Mann agreed during an interview with NBC-2.
“We can take down the pictures, we can have a burning ceremony of the pictures, and we are still Robert E. Lee County,” Mann said during the interview.
Alan Fields, who commented on J.B.’s petition, wrote, “Long overdue. Lee didn’t even visit this area.”
“I say defund all those who want to change history for his or her political gains,” he wrote. “I just can’t believe what’s happening.”
People have called for the removal of Confederate tributes and other statues in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
Hollywood officials in late 2017 re-named three Hollywood streets originally named for Confederate commanders. Specifically, the streets previously named for John Bell Hood, Robert E. Lee, and Nathan Bedford Forrest became Hope, Liberty, and Freedom streets.
By Aaron Krause