After a 12-year effort by United Third Bridge and the Florida Puerto Rican/Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a statue of Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon now graces the shores of Juan Ponce de Leon Landing in Brevard County's South Beaches.

"This is certainly a historical moment. And I can't help but to think that one day, I'm going to be looking at the History Channel - and this may be there," Palm Bay City Councilman Harry Santiago told visitors according to Florida Today.

Ground was broken for the statue on April 2, 2011. According to the United Third Bridge Web site, the organization "was able to finish Phase I and currently is working on Phase II out of IV of the Don Juan Ponce de Leon Landing Statue Project in Melbourne Beach marking the 500 year celebration of the discovery of Florida in 2013."

The unveiling was originally slated for last April but was postponed because the statue had not been completed. The project was moved forward after the Brevard County Tourist Development Council approved $67,000 in hotel tax revenues to cover expenses and get the statue to the site. Hotel tax revenues are used in many cities to help develop community projects that can bring in visitors from outside a city.

"It was a long time overdue. I'm so glad," said United Third Bridge president Samuel Lopez to Florida Today. "It's a work of art."

The work of art serves to commemorate a voyage that is often lost or misrepresented according to the locals. The statue highlights a 25-acre recreational area devoted to the explorer.

"The park commemorates the epic 1513 voyage of Juan Ponce de León and his landing near Melbourne Beach, Florida on April 2," says the park's Web site. "Juan Ponce de León's 7,980 nautical mile exploration into unknown waters set the stage for the subsequent European colonization of the USA. But that significant historical fact has been lost in the categorically untrue reports by past historians that he was a vain old conquistador looking for a fountain of youth."