Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is proposing a $25 million preservation of the Freedom Tower in Miami.
DeSantis and Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez announced the proposal at a news conference at the Freedom Tower Monday morning.
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DeSantis said the $25 million is part of his upcoming budget recommendation and will go toward urgent structural repairs at the Freedom Tower, as well as conserving and restoring historical architectural components.
"It's getting close to being 100 years old and it does need some major repairs and some restoration," DeSantis said.
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DeSantis said the funding would also make the building more accessible for people with disabilities, and would include installing museum quality climate control and security systems.
The news conference comes after more than 1,000 demonstrators took the streets of South Florida Sunday to rally in solidarity with the Cuban people fighting for freedom on their island.
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The population in opposition to the communist regime are planning nationwide protests Monday on the island in defiance of the Cuban government.
This protest follows protests in July where thousands of Cubans took to the streets calling for change and demanding an end to food and medicine shortages.
"You're talking about 90 miles away the difference between destitution and tyranny, and the difference between freedom, opportunity and prosperity," DeSantis said. "If you look at what's going on right now in the island of Cuba, you've got a lot of people who are standing up and fighting against a brutal dictatorship. This is something that I think many of the people who fled Cuba over the decades probably never envisioned that the tyranny would last this long."
DeSantis said the Freedom Tower is a symbol for the Cuban people who fled the communist dictatorship.
"The state of Florida stands with everybody that's taking to the streets, everybody that's protesting, everybody who wants to have a better life and we will continue to do that," DeSantis said.
