Fort Myers quoted in range of $60,000 to remove Robert E. Lee pedestal

It could cost $50,000 to $60,000 for the City of Fort Myers to remove the controversial pedestal of the once-present bust of Confederate general Robert E. Lee.

Mayor Kevin Anderson told us Tuesday that estimate is a preliminary quote for now, so that cost could go up or down. But one thing is for sure: The pedestal will be removed.

Two months ago, Fort Myers City Council voted to take the pedestal away from its public space in the city. It’s still standing in the middle of downtown Fort Myers.

James Muwakkil, the president of the Lee County NAACP, is ready to see all parts of that monument go.

“It represents oppression, slavery, rape, lynching, castration, murder, servitude, all blacks have no rights,” Muwakkil said.

Anderson says the quote to remove the pedestal came from a construction company that specializes in historic properties.

“It’s a historic piece of work,” Anderson said. “So it is going to take a lot of effort to make sure that it can be uprooted from the ground and kept in one piece, and even the transportation is a little bit more challenging.”

Mayor Anderson says he hopes to have the pedestal removed before the rainy season starts, but there is no exact timeline for when it will go.

We reached out to Sons of Confederate Veterans, the group acting as keepers of the bust, but we have not heard back yet.

Muwakkil says when it comes to ridding the city of hateful images and statues, no price tag is too high.

“If it cost $50-$60 million, it should still come down,” Muwakkil said. “The cost of taking down the racist call pedestal … is nothing compared to the price that’s been paid already and still continues to be paid today.”