SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Seminole County officials held a dedication ceremony on Saturday for the 'Senator' clone at Big Tree Park in Longwood.
In early 2012, a fire destroyed the original 'Senator,' a Pond Cypress tree believed to be one of the oldest trees in the world.
Sara Barnes was charged with arson after the 3,500-year-old tree was destroyed. Police said she was smoking methamphetamine inside the dark, hollow trunk and lit a flame to see.
Saturday morning, officials held a dedication ceremony for the clone, which is one of seven that was made 15 years ago. County commissioners bought it for $7,000 and it was recently planted in Big Tree Park to replace the remnants of the original 'Senator.'
Also on Saturday, officials announced that the clone will be named 'The Phoenix.' Fourth grade Seminole County student May Frangoul came up with the name as part of a contest to name the tree.
"Since the phoenix is a mythical bird that rises out of the ashes, I thought it would be good for the tree since it got burned down and now there's a new one that got planted," Frangoul said.
The clone is genetically the same as the 'Senator,' just a lot smaller than the original, which at one point was more than 160 feet tall and 18 feet wide.
Many Seminole County residents showed up for Saturday's event to see the clone.
"As a fourth generation resident, I was very sad when the tree went up in flames. So I wanted to bring my kids out today to see the next part of history going up in the county," resident Scott Sturgill said.