An online petition to have a statue of Snooty the Manatee replace the Confederate monument outside the Manatee County Courthouse as of last night, had 6,000 signatures. The petition, started by a Sarasota man, reads “To honor Snooty’s legacy as a positive icon in Bradenton, I propose that the negative symbol of racism and oppression that is the Confederate monument be relocated and replaced.” Snooty was listed as the world’s oldest manatee in captivity in the Guinness World Records and was believed to be the oldest living manatee in the world. The author of the petition, Anthony Pusateri, said he plans on delivering the petition to Bradenton’s mayor, city council and Manatee county commission.
