It’s not a major newsmaker like tax cuts or prominent earmarks, but Gov. Rick Scott will be making the call on a bill that would replace the statue of Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith as one of Florida’s two contributions to the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall Collection. A replacement would stand beside that of the incumbent John Gorrie, a 19th century physician who played a key role in the invention of modern air conditioning. In addition to Civil War baggage in 2016, Smith only lived in Florida for 12 years.
The bigger issue is who would be the new statuary entrant.
With all due respect to Zora Neale Hurston and Henry Flagler, let’s just go ahead and designate former Gov. LeRoy Collins. Let’s forever enshrine someone who’s the antithesis of Rick Scott and “Flori-duh” in all its more recent manifestations.
Collins was a governor who helped modernize the Florida government by, among other things, reforming legislative districts and founding the community college system. He was also a champion of open government when the cause wasn’t so obvious and courageously helped make the case for racial integration–when that cause was a flammable one in the South.
The impact of Collins is still felt today; a U.S. Capitol statue would represent Florida at its historic best.