TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis and Secretary of State Cord Byrd unveiled a sculpture of George Washington on Thursday at a news conference in the Florida Capitol.
Byrd said Florida will be hosting many events leading up to the 250th anniversary of the founding of the nation coming up next year.
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The unveiling of the George Washington statue was the first of those events.
Byrd credited DeSantis with the idea for the statue of Washington, then thanked him for “defending our history by proudly displaying” the statue, which came from the Mount Vernon Ladies Association.
The 6.5-foot bronze statue was sculpted by Robert Shure in 1996 and “depicts Washington as the American Cincinnatus, a reference to the Roman soldier and farmer who resigned great military power and returned to civilian life."
DeSantis said the state is embracing the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
“While others are tearing statues down, we are putting statues up to honor the heroes of our Republic and our great history,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis said while Washington wasn’t a great orator, political philosopher or even military strategist, he exemplified leadership and civic virtue.