TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A state task force responsible for selecting the site for the Florida Museum of Black History recommended St. Johns County as the new home for the museum in a final vote on Friday.
The task force voted 6-to-1 for the recommendation.
“We did it!” St. Johns County Board of Commissioners Chair Sarah Arnold said. “The St. Johns County community rallied together and displayed their determination to get this museum. It is a testament to the tenacity of our team and the public’s passion for the history of St. Augustine and the surrounding communities.”
St. Augustine was currently number one on the list to get the museum, but another city, Eatonville in Orange County, was expected to lobby in a last-minute attempt to sway the group’s decision.
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The museum would likely be built near King Street and Holmes Boulevard.
“We’ve begun the process of the revitalization but the museum is just going to speed up that revitalization,” said Greg White, advisor for the West Augustine CRA.
White grew up in west St. Augustine. He said these streets are bound to change if what was voted on comes to light.
“It’s not words that could explain the way I feel. The economic development and the engine that we lost when Florida Memorial University left, everything was gone with the wind so now we’re talking about a rebirth,” White said.
Plans include a campus-style museum of African American history, performing arts and cultural exhibits.
Orlando-area State Senator Geraldine Thompson is the chair of the task force.
“That is a possibility. The draft of the final report requires a feasibility study of the top three and the rankings had it as St. Augustine, Eatonville and Opa-Locka,” Thompson said.
It could take up to a year for those studies to be done.
Some state leaders, like former Governor Rick Scott, were torn on which location should be selected.
“The African American community has been instrumental in building the state. and they’ve been instrumental in a lot of places. Eatonville is historic from the standpoint that the oldest, I think it’s the oldest African American city in the country, whereas St. Augustine is the oldest inhabited city in Florida and in the United States, so I don’t know, this will be a tough decision” Scott said.
The task force has to submit its report to Gov. Ron DeSantis by Monday.
He will be asked to approve it, and if he does, it will then go to the legislature for final approval and funding.