BLACK HISTORY MUSEUM gets $
1
Million
by Aaron London
in State Funding
The Florida Museum of Black History is several steps closer to becoming a reality in St. Johns County / St. Augustine thanks to a $ 1 million appropriation from the State of Florida.
The line item was spared Gov. Ron DeSantis’ s veto pen and is part of the fiscal year 2025-26 budget signed by the governor in July. DeSantis vetoed a $ 750,000 appropriation for a Florida Museum of Black History in Opa-locka.
The funding is part of legislation sponsored by State Sen. Tom Leek, R-St. Augustine, and passed unanimously by the Florida Senate during the session that ended in May.
The bill, SB 466, passed its first legislative test in mid-March after a unanimous vote by the Committee on Community Affairs. The measure creates a Florida Museum of Black History Board of Directors and directs the board to oversee the commission, construction, operation and administration of the museum in St. Johns County / St. Augustine.
The bill moved on to the Senate Appropriations Committee on
Agriculture, Environment and General Government where it was reported favorably by a 12-0 vote. The legislation continued its perfect record in early April with a 25-0 vote by the Senate Rules Committee.
The project to create a museum celebrating Florida’ s Black history comes from a bill signed by DeSantis in May 2023, and includes the selection of a nine-member Task Force appointed by DeSantis, then-Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and then-House Speaker Paul Renner. The Task Force was charged with providing recommendations for the planning, construction, operation and administration of the Museum. After reviewing submissions from around the state, the Task Force selected St. Johns County / St. Augustine as the location for the facility. According to the legislation signed by DeSantis, the Museum is to be“ a multipurpose facility capable of generating self-sustaining revenues, with archival research and storage facilities, meeting rooms, a full-service banquet facility and a performing arts center.”
According to St. Johns County spokesman Wayne Larson, the $ 1 million in state funds will be used to begin Phase 1 of the Museum project, including the planning, design, engineering and administration functions.
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