WINTER PARK, Fla. — A Martin Luther King Jr. statue in Winter Park is facing growing backlash from residents who say its design is disrespectful.
Critics spoke out at a city community meeting Tuesday night, calling the statue’s proportions “cartoonish” and “caricature-like.”
Jonathan Blount, a decades-long Winter Park resident, said the artist has admitted the design was an interpretation that intentionally outsized Dr. King’s head, feet, and arms. “There is a distortion — it is cartoonish, it is buffoonish, and caricaturist,” Blount said.
City leaders say the statue, located at Unity Corner, is intended to honor Dr. King’s legacy.
They emphasized that it is part of a larger master plan for the park, which also includes new athletic fields, courts, lighting, and a splash pad.
“This was supposed to mark this historic moment of equal representation, and I don’t understand why they would experiment with our history, with our legacy? Why not produce something we could be proud of, instead?” Blount said.
The statue has been a focal point of debate in recent weeks, with some residents now calling for changes to its design.
Channel 9 has reached out to the City of Winter Park for comment, and is still waiting to hear back.
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