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Gus Bilirakis staffer is for Confederate flag, but Bilirakis isn't

 
A Confederate honor guard fires a volley as re-enactors lift a 30- by 60-foot Confederate flag skyward during the dedication of the Confederate Memorial Park at 10418 E U.S. 92 in Tampa. The 139-foot tall flagpole is the centerpiece of the park, organized by the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
A Confederate honor guard fires a volley as re-enactors lift a 30- by 60-foot Confederate flag skyward during the dedication of the Confederate Memorial Park at 10418 E U.S. 92 in Tampa. The 139-foot tall flagpole is the centerpiece of the park, organized by the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
Published June 23, 2015

TAMPA — Bob Hatfield is a proud member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the group that oversees the controversial Tampa site where a huge Confederate battle flag towers over Interstate 75.

"It's a historical marker. It's a reminder to all of us who had ancestors in the war," said Hatfield, who added he's upset the flag has been "hijacked" as a symbol by racist groups.

Hatfield also happens to be a staffer for a local congressman, Gus Bilirakis. That leads to an obvious question: What does Hatfield's boss think of the Confederate flag?

"In 2001, I supported then-Gov. Bush's actions to move this flag from Florida state grounds to a museum," Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, said Monday. "I personally believe we need to move forward in unity by putting the symbols of past division, such as this flag, behind us."

Hatfield, a retired history teacher, is a part-time employee of Bilirakis' congressional office who does outreach in the community. He attends community events, speaks to various groups and engages with constituents who may need help with a federal agency, said Ian Martorana, Bilirakis' communications director.

Bilirakis' congressional district includes much of Pasco County along with slices of northern Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. Bilirakis is comfortably in his fifth term in Congress; he has repeatedly cruised to re-election and faced no opposition at the ballot box last year.

The Confederate battle flag has become a subject of public debate once again in the wake of last week's massacre of nine African-Americans in a church in Charleston, S.C. The suspect has been seen in photos on a white supremacist website posing with Confederate graves and weapons.

The enormous Confederate flag has been displayed for seven years near the junction of I-75 and Interstate 4. The flag's display, though legal and on private property, has long been contentious.

The shootings in Charleston have now thrust the divisive topic of the Confederate flag into the race for the Republican nomination for president. Some of the leading candidates are treading delicately.

Sen. Marco Rubio told reporters he thought the state would "make the right choice for the people of South Carolina."

Jeb Bush, in a carefully worded statement, didn't explicitly say the flag should be removed from the grounds of South Carolina's Capitol. But he said he was confident leaders there "will do the right thing" and referred to his own decision to take down the flag in Florida in 2001, when he was governor.

"My position on how to address the Confederate flag is clear," Bush said. "In Florida we acted, moving the flag from the state grounds to a museum where it belonged."

Bilirakis, by the way, is endorsing Bush for president.

Contact Mike Brassfield at brassfield@tampabay.com or (727) 445-4151. Follow @MikeBrassfield.