Florida may replace the statue of a Confederate general at the U.S. Capitol.
A Florida House panel on Wednesday endorsed a bill calling for removal of the bronze statue of Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith from the Capitol where every state is allowed to have two statues.
The bill sponsored by Miami Republican Rep. Jose Felix Diaz would start the process of selecting a sculptor and the name of a prominent Floridian citizen to replace Smith. The Florida Legislature would have to approve the replacement statue in 2017.
Diaz noted Smith’s statue was approved in 1922. He said the state should “tell the tale of new Floridians.” He mentioned Walt Disney, Henry Flagler and Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
The full Legislature may consider the bill next year.
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