MIAMI (CBSMiami) – An iconic image of Miami’s history has been saved.

According to CBS4 News partner The Miami Herald, expenses needed to maintain the Coppertone sign, featuring Little Miss Coppertone, will be paid for by Merck, the parent company of Coppertone sunscreen makers Schering-Plough.

The company told the sign’s owner, the MiMo Biscayne Association, that it will donate $1,800 every year for the next five years to pay for the liability insurance and general upkeep of the 52-year-old sign.

The sign currently hangs on the northern wall of a building at 7300 Biscayne Boulevard and has been owned by the MiMo association since 2008 after it was donated to them by the Dade Heritage Trust.

When MiMo announced it couldn’t afford to pay the insurance anymore, Merck stepped in. The money will also be used to repair the girl’s foot, which was cracking due to lack of maintenance.

The donation by Merck will preserve what many consider a piece of Miami history.

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