The day was February 11, 1972, when everything changed for Cocoa Beach, Florida. Why, you ask? Well, that was the day when the future 11-time world champion graced the spot with his esteemed presence. Kelly Slater started surfing when he was just 5 years old, and from the day he picked up his first surfboard, Slater showed promise. Slater not only excelled at the game of surfing, but he completely changed it.

Innovation could be his second name, and endurance could be his first. Kelly Slater has lived through a decorated competitive surfing career, and there is not a single competitive record that has not been touched by him. This is the kind of man people sculpt statues over. And Slater does have a statue dedicated to him in Cocoa Beach. But now, there have been some calls to relocate the ‘dangerous’ structure.

Hot debate over relocating the bronze Kelly Slater

The Kelly Slater statue is located at the north end of Downtown Cocoa Beach, where A1A splits. The statue, which was unveiled in 2010, has now become a prominent landmark in downtown Cocoa Beach. The structure is a fitting tribute to the achievements of Kelly Slater, the pride of Space Coast. However, a discussion is now afoot about relocating the statue to somewhere else. Last month, on April 18, a meeting of the city commission was held, and this agenda was proposed.

According to Click Orlando, a former city employee, Melissa Byron, said during the meeting, “The Kelly Slater statue where it is right now is dangerous. It’s plain dangerous.” Her statement was followed by a request to remove the statue from its current place and relocate it somewhere else. Mayor Ben Malik was also in agreement and had some pressing arguments in support. He said, “I don’t think they anticipated as many people wanting to take a picture. People jaywalking, scampering across the four-lane highway to get to the statue.” However, Kelly Slater’s brother, Sean Slater, spoke out in support of the statue.

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Sean Slater was of the view, “I love the statue where it is. I think it belongs where it is.” Sean noted that there had been no instances of anyone getting hurt in the past 13 years. He added, “How many instances of danger have we had? Zero. There’s not a line of people doing it, you know.” While Mayor Ben Malik says his wish is to be respectful to the artist as well as the Slaters, he also represented that most of the committee officials were agreeable to relocating it. The debate is slated to continue during the next meeting.

The origins of the statue

The statue was designed and sculpted by a Cocoa Beach brother and sister pair, Sam Drazich and Tasha Drazich, and is dedicated to the hometown hero, The King, Kelly Slater. The work of art stands at Triangle Park, on State Road A1A, across from the “Glass Bank.” According to Surfer Today, during the unveiling of the statue, Kelly Slater said, “I’ve never thought they’d stop traffic for me.”

The statue was displayed when Slater had won 10 world titles. The bronze statue took four years to be completed and is worth $150,000. The statue is 11 times the actual surfer’s height and is strong enough to withstand winds at the rate of 140 mph. Skip Beeler, who was the mayor in 2010, said, “We’re famous for astronauts and space, and he ranks almost with them. What he’s done is not likely to happen again, just like walking on the moon.”

Kelly Slater’s journey has been miraculous, for sure, and deserves to be celebrated. But only time will tell if the bronze surfer will get a new home or retain its old one.

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