Fresh flowers have been planted around the front lawn and flags are at half-staff — including the one over the old capitol, now museum — where former Florida Governor and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham will lie in state Friday for a public farewell.
It’s a homecoming of sorts for Graham, to the place where he began his Florida legacy, where he served in both Florida chambers, house and senate, before his two terms as governor.
It is the place where the Coral Gables-born, Miami Lakes-founding Graham forged his career as a true public servant, known best for the work days he spent learning firsthand the many worlds Floridians maneuver, and how to make those worlds work within a collaborative, bipartisan government.
Graham’s casket arrived there last week on what his family called his final trip to Tallahassee — from Gainesville where he had been living — and where he passed away on April 16.
Friday at 11 a.m., a military honor guard will accompany his casket and Graham will lie in state for two hours on the second-floor landing, when the public is invited to come and pay respects.
The display cases will be filled with mementos from the family, who will be in attendance. Cameras have also been set up for a live stream.
Afterward, the Graham family will head to the city’s Oakland Cemetery for a private burial.
Graham’s official headstone on the ground there commemorates his public service.
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