It took a while, but Juan Ponce de Leon is finally perched on a pedestal in Melbourne Beach.
The 10-foot-tall bronze statue was scheduled to be unveiled last spring to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Spanish explorer's arrival in Florida.
But the artist needed more time to work on the statue’s facial details and fix one of the figure’s hands.
"Because it's not only for you and for you and for you, it's for everyone. For our children, who are going to be here, the next generation.
Finally Ponce de Leon is going to have a place to rest in Melbourne Beach, because that's where he landed."
Juan Ponce de Leon is credited with discovering and naming “La Florida” on April 2, 1513.
Historians disagree about whether he landed near St. Augustine or Melbourne Beach.