Board plans to buy Iwo Jima statue

The original model for the iconic Iwo Jima statue may end up in Sarasota after all.

Digital Image Business Solutions, American Ideals Foundation and and Gold Coast Eagle Distributing have come together to form the Iwo Jima Memorial Project, a non-profit organization aimed at buying the statue and relocating it to Southwest Florida.

The group plans to establish a value for the statue, purchase it from the seller, and ship it out of storage to a space that has yet to be chosen in either Sarasota or Manatee County, according to a news release.