The obelisk was not attached to the base and broke in half when lifted by a crane.

MANATEE COUNTY — A 22-foot granite Confederate memorial broke in half early Thursday as a county crew and contractor started to remove it from the courthouse grounds. But it was a "clean break" and the obelisk can be repaired, county Property Management Director Charlie Bishop told county commissioners.

The 8.5-ton memorial was leaning and may have been damaged in 2013, when it was moved a few yards during a redesign of the courthouse square, county officials said.

County Administrator Ed Hunzeker said the spire evidently wasn't attached to the base and could have posed "a potential hazard" during a wind storm.

“It didn’t crumble,” said Commission Chairwoman Betsy Benac, adding that since it was erected in 1924, “it’s not surprising it needs some repair.”

It was removed at 3:30 a.m., county officials said, to avoid disrupting pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

The monument is being stored in a secure and unnamed location until a new site is agreed upon, and will be repaired when a permanent location is determined.

On Monday night, about 400 demonstrators at the courthouse protested for and against the monument, which was donated by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The protests resulted in three arrests. Those who object to the monument regard it as a tribute to slavery and racism and regard the courthouse, where people seek justice, as an inappropriate location for it. Defenders say it's a tribute to war veterans and to Southern history and heritage.

On Tuesday, the commission voted 4-3 to remove the monument because of public safety concerns.

The commissioners have suggested Veterans Monument Park on Bradenton's waterfront or the Gamble Plantation Historic State Park in Ellenton as permanent sites, but they plan to seek the public's input.

Clerk of the Circuit Court Angelina Colonneso emailed commissioners later Thursday, taking issue with the perception that the monument was at "a tilt" after being relocated. "R.B. 'Chips' Shore valued history in this county as evident in his many historical resources in the county," she wrote, referring to the previous court clerk, who oversaw the reconfiguration of the courthouse grounds to include a gazebo and other features. "He took great care in moving the Confederate monument as part of the landscape project."