Construction has begun on a new golden-colored Wat (a tower, similar to those found in Buddhist Temples in Asia) to replace the Flagler Memorial on Monument Island. Monument Island, owned by the City of Miami Beach, is man-made, and lies in Biscayne Bay between Star Island, Hibiscus Island, and the Venetian Islands.
The new tower, sponsored and paid for by the Coconut Grove based Miami Golden Cheddi Society, is modeled after a tower in Thailand that is particularly revered by Buddhists worldwide.
A spokesperson for the City of Miami Beach pointed out that the City will be relieved of a considerable budget item. “Construction, cleaning, maintaining, and refurbishing of the new monument will be paid for entirely by the Golden Cheddi Society, while the city will only be responsible for policing the island and maintaining the grounds, as before.”
The City and the Cheddi Society stress that this is not an inherently religious symbol, rather it is simply a golden tower, subject to one’s own interpretation. The city spokesperson pointed out that, for example, “Miami Beach currently permits an Eruv, a miles-long length of fishing line, to surround the town, stretching all along the City’s beachwalk”. An Eruv permits Orthodox Jews to use Sabbath rules that would apply at home, rather than outside the home, by making the entire area within the wire into a “virtual home”.
Courts have held that erecting such a wire is not “the establishment of a religion by the state”, but rather, prohibiting the wire would actually have that effect, by favoring other religions that were not being prohibited from their free expression. “When the Cheddi Society first approached us, we were sure that we could not do this. But the logic of the Eruv exactly parallels this. Since the new monument will be beautiful, will save money, is not a government establishment of religion, and will be a tourist attraction, we couldn’t see why we shouldn’t do it. This gleaming monument will be recognizable by all, and its golden reflection will emphasize the sun and climate of our beach city.”
The Flagler Monument was commissioned by Miami Beach co-founder Carl G. Fisher in 1920 at a cost of $125,000. Henry Flagler, who died in 1913, is widely regarded as the person who commercialized the tourist industry in South Florida. The spokesperson pointed out that, unfortunately, its position in the bay means that almost no one ever sees it up close, and from a distance it is simply another obelisk. An informal poll showed that fewer than 1-in-50 residents of Miami Beach know who the monument commemorates.
