Sumter County commissioners voted 4-1 Tuesday to designate Powell Road as a memorial roadway for Charlie Kirk.
Kirk, a conservative political activist who often spoke on college campuses, was assassinated on Sept. 10.
The memorial roadway request will be submitted to the Public Works Department and a public hearing will be held prior to final adoption.
No addresses or the actual road name would be changed and signs would be posted at each end of the road. The memorial roadway would extend from County Road 466A to either County Road 44A or State Road 44.
Lake and Marion counties also have designated memorial roadways to honor Kirk.
Kirk was a controversial figure and signs designating Lake County’s roadway to him have been vandalized.
County Administrator Bradley Arnold said Powell Road is well lit, which reduces the possibility of vandalism.
Voting against the resolution, Commissioner Deb Butterfield said it was a difficult decision for her.
“Charlie Kirk died in a horrible way,” she said. “There have been other political executions in this country. There are many ways to recognize people who die.”
Commissioner Andrew Bilardello, who suggested Powell Road for the memorial roadway, said he has heard from county residents who wanted something to honor Kirk.
During the public forum, Craig Bothwell said it is wrong for the county to honor Kirk because of his past racial comments.
He said Kirk, who attended a junior college, criticized prominent Ivy League educated black women including Michelle Obama and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, questioning whether they advanced only due to affirmative action.
Bothwell, who at past meetings has spoken against the Heart of Florida Landfill near Lake Panasoffkee, also said Kirk admitted black airline pilots made him nervous.