In the National Statuary Hall Collection the state of Florida is represented by statues of John Gorrie, a physician, scientist, inventor, and humanitarian and General Edmund Kirby Smith, a Confederate General.
In 2016, Florida resident Dr. Lynette Long, founder of Equal Visibility Everywhere, traveled to Tallahassee to promote the placement of a statue honoring a woman in National Statuary Hall.
She addressed the Florida State Legislature's Women's Caucus, lobbied individual members of the state legislature, and testified on behalf of FLHB 141, urging the body to add a woman to the National Statuary Collection.
 The Florida Legislature passed the bill which would remove the statue of General Edmund Kirby Smith from the National Statuary Hall Collection and create a commission to propose names of three statue candidates to the Florida legislature.
The recommendations were environmentalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Publix founder George Washington Douglas, and educator Mary McLeod Bethune.
 The following  legislative session, a bill proposing Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune to represent the state of Florida was passed then signed by former Governor Rick Scott making Mary McLeod Bethune the first African American to be honored with a statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection.

General Edmund Kirby Smith Statue Removal Backlash
Following passage of the 2018 bill to replace the statue of General Edmund Kirby Smith with Mary McLeod Bethune, a state panel considered proposals of where to display the Smith statue when it was removed from the US Capitol.
The panel agreed to relocate the statue to Lake County Historical Museum located in Tavares, Florida based on a proposal by its curator, Bob Grenier.
In 2019, the Lake County Board of County Commissioners voted 3 - 2, approving the Smith statue installation at the Lake County Historical Museum.
Despite the vote of approval, roughly 400 protestors gathered in opposition to the placement of the  monument of Confederate General Smith in Lake County.
Eight Lake County Mayors signed a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis asking for action to prevent the installment of the Smith statue in the Tavares museum.
Florida Governor DeSantis did not respond.
Eustis Commissioner Robert Morin, an opponent of the county vote, said, " Lake County Board of County Commissioners' Chairwoman, a supporter of the move said, "The thought of bringing a Confederate statue to Lake County really bothers a lot of our African American population and also a lot of creative thinkers like myself“ It is important to preserve statues and monuments which tell the story of where we’ve come from and where we are today, even if those artifacts invoke strong emotions.”
In the National Statuary Hall Collection the state of Florida is represented by statues of John Gorrie, a physician, scientist, inventor, and humanitarian and General Edmund Kirby Smith, a Confederate General. In 2016, Florida resident Dr. Lynette Long, founder of Equal Visibility Everywhere, traveled to Tallahassee to promote the placement of a statue honoring a woman in National Statuary Hall. She addressed the Florida State Legislature's Women's Caucus, lobbied individual members of the state legislature, and testified on behalf of FLHB 141, urging the body to add a woman to the National Statuary Collection.  The Florida Legislature passed the bill which would remove the statue of General Edmund Kirby Smith from the National Statuary Hall Collection and create a commission to propose names of three statue candidates to the Florida legislature. The recommendations were environmentalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Publix founder George Washington Douglas, and educator Mary McLeod Bethune.  The following  legislative session, a bill proposing Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune to represent the state of Florida was passed then signed by former Governor Rick Scott making Mary McLeod Bethune the first African American to be honored with a statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection.
General Edmund Kirby Smith Statue Removal Backlash
Following passage of the 2018 bill to replace the statue of General Edmund Kirby Smith with Mary McLeod Bethune, a state panel considered proposals of where to display the Smith statue when it was removed from the US Capitol. The panel agreed to relocate the statue to Lake County Historical Museum located in Tavares, Florida based on a proposal by its curator, Bob Grenier. In 2019, the Lake County Board of County Commissioners voted 3 - 2, approving the Smith statue installation at the Lake County Historical Museum. Despite the vote of approval, roughly 400 protestors gathered in opposition to the placement of the  monument of Confederate General Smith in Lake County. Eight Lake County Mayors signed a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis asking for action to prevent the installment of the Smith statue in the Tavares museum. Florida Governor DeSantis did not respond. Eustis Commissioner Robert Morin, an opponent of the county vote, said, " Lake County Board of County Commissioners' Chairwoman, a supporter of the move said, "The thought of bringing a Confederate statue to Lake County really bothers a lot of our African American population and also a lot of creative thinkers like myself“ It is important to preserve statues and monuments which tell the story of where we’ve come from and where we are today, even if those artifacts invoke strong emotions.”
Equal Visibility Everywhere