The New College of Florida announced it will commission a statue in memory of conservative activist Charlie Kirk to "honor his legacy and incredible work" following his assassination at Utah Valley University last week.
According to a post by the school, Kirk's statute will be privately funded by community leaders and "stand on campus as a commitment by New College to defend and fight for free speech and civil discourse in American life."
New College is located in Sarasota.
The school said the statue's location will be determined at a later date.
Kirk was shot and killed while speaking on stage at a Turning Point USA event by the alleged 22-year-old man on Sept. 10. The
suspect in the murder was caught two days later.
The man has since been charged with aggravated murder and witness tampering, as well as other charges in Kirk's assassination.
Turning Point USA was founded by Kirk in 2012. The grassroots organization is known for promoting conservative principles nationwide, with Kirk as its prominent spokesperson, including at college campuses across the country.
His popular "change-my-mind" forums at universities were a staple of Turning Point's events, garnering millions of views on social media.
Turning Point USA had 6.1 million followers on Instagram as of September 16th, and Charlie Kirk's personal account had 12.6 million. Both have
jumped significantly in just a few days.
Gov.
Ron DeSantis reacted to the statue announcement on social media,
calling it a "good job" by the school. He also promised to protect the statue from potential vandalism.
Memorials for Kirk have been subjected to vandalism in other U.S. States, including
Arizona and Colorado.
"Well, vandals will be held accountable," DeSantis
said. "The inmates no longer run the asylum. Vandalizing a statue will be a great way for a student to be expelled."
Kirk was 31 years old. He is survived by his wife, Erika, and two young children.
