On the corner of University Avenue and Main Street sits a concrete slab. Nothing lives on that corner except the Alachua County Administration Building and the ghost of "Old Joe," the statue of an unnamed Confederate soldier taken down in 2017 after 113 years following a nationwide push to remove the politicized memorials.
The Alachua County Arts Council has been trying to replace him ever since.
It’s been a difficult task. Lack of artist response, budget issues and concerns over the history of the space have slowed the process.
First, the Board of County Commissioners had to decide on a concept for the statue’s replacement.