Anti-Biden flag still flying atop crane near stadium

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Jacksonville City Council president hopes to soon enactment retired a resolution

Photo of emblem taken from Sky 4 Drone connected Jan. 5, 2022. (News4JAX.com)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville City Council president connected Wednesday told News4JAX helium hopes to soon person a solution worked retired arsenic a flag, which contains a profane connection toward President Joe Biden, remained flying adjacent TIAA Bank Field.

The emblem is atop a crane that’s docked on the St. Johns River. Jacksonville City Council members person been trying to get the proprietor to instrumentality it down, but it hasn’t happened.

News4JAX has learned Cross State Towing owns the barge with the crane and emblem atop. We’ve been attempting to speech with the proprietor since Friday, and connected Wednesday, we visited the dock.

The idiosyncratic connected manus told america that his brag told him to the fastener the gross with my lensman and I inactive inside.

Here’s however this played out. Just aft 11 a.m. my lensman and I arrived astatine the tract -- owned by Cross State Towing. There were nary signs speechmaking “keep out” oregon “no trespassing.” I was conscionable look for idiosyncratic who operates the boats and crane, and that’s erstwhile I saw a antheral walking disconnected a tugboat and asked him.

That antheral kept walking and I kept asking if helium was with Cross State. He walked up to the gate. I didn’t cognize what helium was dong. And past helium locked it. He said the brag antheral told him to fastener the gate.

Again, we were conscionable trying to find retired accusation astir this flag.

Last week, metropolis assembly members were trying to bash the aforesaid happening and were nether the content it would beryllium coming down. It was lone down for a fewer hours during the Gator Bowl astatine TIAA Bank Field.

On Wednesday, we sat for a abbreviated while. The antheral said we would person to telephone constabulary to get america out. We did, but a abbreviated clip later, helium opened the gross to fto different idiosyncratic out.

The antheral fto america out, too, and said his brag would not beryllium speaking with us. We called the sheriff’s bureau backmost and near the area.

On Wednesday, we besides spoke with Republican City Council President Sam Newby, who has been attempting to scope the company. Now, he’s taking a antithetic approach.

“I americium truly amazed that it is inactive up there. This is not Jacksonville. It’s truly not Jacksonville. And I’m bittersweet that this emblem volition inactive beryllium up,” Newby said. “I’ve been talking with the politician (Lenny Curry) and besides the Office of General Counsel and we’re trying to resoluteness and I deliberation we person a solution for this and hopefully by the extremity of the week we should person this resolved.”

There is thing amerciable astir flying a emblem with profanity, and the institution does ain the barge. For now, it’s not being utilized connected immoderate task and this is wherever it’s stored.