Lawmakers Prepare To Vote On Confederate Statue
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TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) - The Florida House on Wednesday could give final approval to a bill that would lead to the replacement of a statue of Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith at the U.S. Capitol.
House members took up the bill Tuesday and rejected a proposed amendment. With the Senate already approving the bill this month, House passage Wednesday would send the measure to Gov. Rick Scott.
Each state is allowed two statues in the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall, and Florida is represented by statues of Smith and John Gorrie, widely considered the father of air conditioning.
Under the bill, a committee would recommend three prominent Floridians as potential replacements for Smith, and the Legislature would pick one whose statue would be placed in the hall.
House sponsor Jose Felix Diaz said Tuesday he has received threats and derogatory comments because of the bill. But he said Florida's statues have not changed since 1922.
"It's time for Florida to revisit its history," Diaz said.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.