FLORIDA, USA — Prior to catching a flight to the nation’s capital Friday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis alongside Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd, unveiled a statue of the nation’s first president at the Florida State Capitol on Thursday.

Byrd said the statue stands as “an important symbol of our republic,” and sparks “early interest” in the United States’ upcoming 250th anniversary of independence in 2026.

“Because of the strong relationship the Department of Historical Resources has maintained with Mount Vernon through the years, they were excited to share the statue with us,” Byrd said. “Now, thousands of people who visit Florida’s Capitol building every year will see the statue, and will inspire patriotism and remind people of the civic virtue embodied in President Washington.”

The statue was sculpted by Robert Sherr in 1996, is all bronze, stands at six and a half feet tall, and is a replica of a marble statue of Washington created in the late 18th century by French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon, according to Byrd.

DeSantis said “there’re gonna be things” the state does throughout 2025 that will celebrate the nation’s semiquincentennial on July 4, 2026.

“While others are tearing statues down, we are putting statues up to honor the heroes of our republic and our great history,” DeSantis said. “Washington exemplified leadership, he exemplified civic virtue, and he had character that not only was indispensable in founding the country, but keeping the new republic together in those early formative years.”

The governor further explained that the statue comes as a loan from Washington’s Mount Vernon, the historic estate of the first president. He said the statue will be at the Capitol for the next year.