A statue that has been standing in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary for nearly a century has been determined to be both “outdated” and “racially divisive” — but Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has an idea for its replacement.
Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith, who commanded the last army of Confederate States to surrender in the Civil War, has been one of Florida’s two representative figures at the National Statuary since 1922. However, legislation passed earlier this year included removal of General Smith’s statue in an effort to eliminate controversial imagery. Additionally, history suggests that General Smith spent very little time in Florida after being born in the famous historical city of St. Augustine.
The Florida Department of State has posted an online survey giving Floridian residents the opportunity to recommend famous Florida natives for the replacement statue.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio helped expose the statue controversy when he suggested Tim Tebow as a candidate for the statue to replace General Smith in the National Statuary in a tweet on Wednesday. Tebow, a Jacksonville native and former University of Florida quarterback, is considered by many to be one of the greatest college football players of all time, and was a fan favorite during his 4 seasons as the Gators quarterback. At Florida, Tebow won the Heisman Trophy and led the Gators to two national championships, along with winning a multitude of other awards. A statue of Tebow already sits outside of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, home of the Florida Gators football team.
However, despite Rubio’s recommendation, candidates for the new statue must be deceased for at least ten years by 2017.
Recommendations for the new statue will be reviewed by Florida’s Division of Historical Resources. The names will then be sent to the 2017 legislature, who will ultimately decide which famous Floridian should replace Confederate General Smith in the Capitol’s National Statuary.
