St. Augustine’s most recognizable sentinels may soon be on the move.
The two marble lions that stand watch at the Bridge of Lions could be removed as early as January 2026 as part of a seawall replacement project — leaving the span without its signature guardians for up to three long years.
The Florida Department of Transportation is proposing a $100,000 agreement with the City of St. Augustine to temporarily remove the statues while it replaces the aging seawall along the Matanzas River.
If approved, the city would be responsible for storing and maintaining the historic lions during the construction process.
FDOT officials said the statues would be be reinstalled by December 31, 2028.
This would not be the first time the Old City big cats have left their posts.
Crafted in 1926 in Florence, Italy, the statues are replicas of the famed Medici lions that flank the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence’s Piazza della Signoria.
They were commissioned by Dr. Andrew Anderson II, a St. Augustine philanthropist and close pal of Henry Flagler, and carved from Carrara marble by renowned sculptor Raffaello Romanelli.
Anderson, who had previously placed smaller versions of the lions outside his own St. Augustine home, gave the sculptures as a gift to the city.
Though he died before their installation, the lions were placed at the bridge’s entrance in 1927 and quickly became one of the Ancient City’s defining symbols.
The Bridge of Lions itself, completed the same year, was named in their honor and was later added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The statues were previously removed in 2005 to protect them during a major bridge restoration project and were returned in 2011 to public fanfare.
This time, the project involves not the bridge but the vulnerable seawall that lines the western edge of the river.
The City Commission is expected to vote on the removal agreement during its next meeting, scheduled for Monday at 5 p.m. at City Hall.
