St. Johns County is one step closer to being the host site of the state’s first black history museum.
The Florida Senate Committee on Community Affairs voted 7-0 March 11 in support of Senate Bill 466, which supports the efforts of St. Johns County by establishing a governance framework.
Florida Sen. Thomas J. “Tom” Leek filed the legislation that provides for the creation of the Florida Museum of Black History Board of Directors, including a selection process for board members.
It directs the board to oversee the commission, construction, operation and administration of the museum. It will work in conjunction with the Foundation for the Museum of Black History Inc. and the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners, which will provide administrative support and staffing to the board for pre-construction activities.
According to the bill, specified board members are prohibited from holding state or local elective office while serving.
The museum would be at the former Florida Memorial College campus at North Holmes Boulevard and West King Street in St. Augustine. The site is in the West Augustine community.
The next step in the legislative process is for the bill to be heard before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government. Its meeting is not yet noticed.
The companion bill in the Florida House of Representatives, HB 659, is sponsored by Representative Kiyan Michael. It is referred to the House Government Operations Subcommittee. A hearing date for HB 659 has not been announced.
According to a news release, St. Johns County led a group of community supporters to Tallahassee to attend the March 11 committee meeting. The supporters included leaders from the West Augustine area where the museum is planned, the City of St. Augustine and the Board of County Commissioners represented by Commissioner Sarah Arnold, District 2, and Commissioner Christian Whitehurst, District 1.
“It is another step forward on our journey to make the dream of the Florida Museum of Black History in St. Johns County a reality,” said Arnold, whose district includes West Augustine, in a statement. “I praise the community for traveling with us to Tallahassee to demonstrate their ongoing support for this project.”
A state task force backed St. Johns County on May 21 for the location of the museum over competing proposals from Central and South Florida.
Lawmakers in 2023 created the task force to make recommendations that include potential tourism marketing and financial plans for the museum, which would address issues such as historical Black cultures in the state, the origins of the Jim Crow period and the civil rights movement.