Gov. Rick Scott approves law removing Confederate statue

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith's time representing Florida in the U.S. Capitol is coming to an end under a new laws approved by Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday.

Scott signed a bill that requires Smith's statue in the National Statuary Hall be replaced.

Some Republican legislators objected to the bill that will replace Smith's statue, saying it was an attempt to erase Southern history. Smith is famous largely as the last Confederate officer to surrender a significant force at the end of the Civil War, nearly two months after Robert E. Lee's April 9, 1865, surrender at Appomattox Court House in Virginia.

Each state is allowed two statues in the Capitol. John Gorrie, whose inventions led to modern air conditioning and refrigeration, also represents Florida in the Capitol. The Department of State's Division of historical resources will provide three recommendations to replace Smith