Statue supporters refuse to surrender

An online petition drive in support of keeping the Unconditional Surrender statue on the bayfront has resulted in more than 250 e-mails being sent to city commissioners.

After an anonymous World War II veteran offered to buy the statue, a Web site called SaveTheSailor.com was created.

Rich Swier Jr., the son of the Sarasota County Veterans Commission President Rich Swier, created the site, which allows visitors to sign a petition to show their support.

When someone signs the petition, an e-mail is sent to all city commissioners. As of June 23, there were 266 e-mails in commissioners’ inboxes.

Contact Robin Roy at [email protected].