Bill Filed to Give Henry Flagler His Own Bronze Statue near State Capitol in Tallahassee

State Rep. Bill Hager, R-Boca Raton, wants a bronze sculpture of Henry Morrison Flagler, who was integral in the development of Miami and Palm Beach–and gave Flagler County its name–to go up in the courtyard between the state Capitol and the Historic Capitol in Tallahassee. Hager has filed a measure (HB 131) that would allow the creation of the Flagler Memorial.

“Henry Flagler had a vision for our great state and through the building of his railroad and its surrounding development, Florida has become the fourth largest state in the U.S.,” Hager said in a news release.

Flagler, a founder of Standard Oil, built the Florida East Coast Railway down the state’s east coast primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century. The passenger rail line at one time reached to Key West; the extension known as the Overseas Railroad was destroyed by the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. The bill would require the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum in Palm Beach to commission the sculpture and to raise private funds for the project. Sen. Joseph Abruzzo, D-Wellington, is expected to file the Senate companion.–News Service of Florida