TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis formally asked U.S. Capitol officials Wednesday to remove the statue of a Confederate general, which has been part of the state’s display for almost 100 years.

The letter to the Capitol’s architect is the latest step in replacing Edmund Kirby Smith’s statue with one honoring educator and civil rights pioneer Mary McLeod Bethune. DeSantis sent the letter on the 144th anniversary of Bethune’s birth.

“Dr. McLeod Bethune’s statue will represent the best of who we are as Floridians to visitors from around the world in our nation’s Capitol,” DeSantis said. “Her legacy endures and will continue to inspire future generations.”

The statue of McLeod Bethune is expected to be on display next year.

It wasn’t immediately clear why it has taken so long for the letter to be sent. The Florida Legislature last year approved the statue switch and soon after, the Lake County Historical Society agreed to take the Smith statue when it was removed from the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall Collection.

Debate has since swirled around the statue coming to Lake County. Seven of the county's municipalities passed resolutions opposing it. Statue opponents argue that Smith, a Confederate soldier, doesn't belong in Lake County, and opens old wounds inflicted by slavery. He was from St. Augustine.

But Lake County Historical Museum curator Bob Grenier said he's already found some ties and is working on more. He's also said he'll put the statue in the correct context and bring balance to the museum.

Meanwhile, proponents accuse those who are against the statue of attempting to erase history.

When she arrives in Washington, D.C., McLeod Bethune will be the first black American honored in the Statuary Hall Collection, which includes two representatives from each state.

“Having the first state-commissioned statue of an African-American placed in National Statuary Hall and the school she founded to continue its mission, Bethune-Cookman University, should inspire in all Floridians a great sense of pride,” said Dr. Clifford Porter, a B-CU vice president.

Smith had been among 12 statues of former Confederate soldiers or politicians in the hall.

Smith’s statue has been in the hall since 1922, when it joined one representing John Gorrie, an early developer of refrigeration and air-conditioning, which had been placed there by Florida in 1914.

Efforts to replace Smith’s statue began after nine people were killed in 2015 at a black church in Charleston, South Carolina, by a white supremacist, prompting a re-evaluation of Confederate memorials across the country.

Lawmakers in 2016 approved replacing the Smith statue and organized a panel to recommend a replacement. Bethune was among three famed Floridians — environmental author Marjory Stoneman Douglas and Publix founder George Jenkins were the others — recommended to the 2017 Legislature.

But lawmakers got stuck, and couldn’t agree on who to honor. Last year, though, Bethune emerged as the overwhelming choice.

Daily Commercial staff writer Katie Sartoris contributed to this story.