With Florida’s Museum of Black History soon taking shape in St. Johns County, state lawmakers are requiring an Administrative Board to be established, according to the bill authorizing the facility’s construction.
Sen. Tom Leek of Ormond Beach introduced Senate Bill 308, which would create an Administrative Board that must be formed by July 31, 2026. The panel will oversee the museum’s construction, operation, and administration — a key step in fulfilling the vision outlined in legislation authorizing the museum’s development. Leek had filed a similar bill last year. It cleared every committee unanimously. It cleared the Senate unanimously, but didn’t pass the House, though both chambers approved $750,000 for actual construction. Gov. DeSantis vetoed the funding. (A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that it had cleared the House as well.)
DeSantis’s veto was part of a series of targeted attacks on Black history, minority scholarships and a mentorship program for Black students. DeSantis in 2023 purged an Advanced Placement Black Studies course from Florida schools, and directed the Department of Education to revamp Black studies standards.
He’s trying again. The Board will oversee the commission, construction, operation and administration of the museum, a press release from Leek’s office notes. Leek’s district includes all of Flagler County.
“I firmly believe that we cannot tell the history of Florida without also telling the history of Black Floridians, which is why I am proud to file Senate Bill 308 in support of Florida’s Museum of Black History,” Leek said. “The museum will be built on the former site of Florida Memorial University, which has historical significance here in St. Johns County, and I look forward to working with our community and our state in furtherance of this significant designation.”
As in the previous proposal, the Governor, the Senate President, and the House Speaker would appoint three members of the Board, which would also have two Senators and two Representatives. None of the nine members picked by leadership could hold elected office while serving.
The new Board will also work alongside the Foundation for the Museum of Black History to manage funding, programming, and long-term planning — a partnership intended to guarantee both transparency and sustainability for the institution.
Leek’s previous bill had mandated the St. Johns County Commission to provide administrative assistance and staffing. The new bill does so as well, but again lacks funding for S. Johns County’s administration.
A museum task force, also created at the legislature’s direction, conducted 10 public meetings around the state before issuing recommendations on the location of the proposed museum on June 28, 2024. St. Johns/St. Augustine ranked first, followed by Eatonville/Orange County, and Opa-locka.
Then-House Speaker Paul Renner had appointed Flagler County’s Howard Holley, the marketing consultant, publisher and chair of the Daytona State College Foundation Board, among other distinctions, as one of the nine members of the task force, an appointment largely instrumental in pushing the location toward St. Johns.
“Supplemental materials included in the Final Report produced by the task force highlighted the extensive historical heritage of St. Johns County, including the Historic Downtown of St.
Augustine,” a legislative analysis of Leek’s 2024 bill stated. “St. Johns County hosts over 10 million visitors and tourists annually seeking to visit numerous historic sites such as Fort Mose, the first legally sanctioned, free African American settlement in the nation.”
St. Johns partnered with Florida Memorial University (FMU), a historically Black university, and the County Commission in April 2024 approved a negotiated agreement to develop the museum property on a 14-5-acre site there, 2.5 miles from the center of Historic Downtown St. Augustine. Before it became FMU, it had been the Florida Normal and Industrial Institute, established in 1918 in a merger with another institution to serve former enslaved persons and their descendants. The museum’s foundation was established in October 2024.
–FlaglerLive and Florida Politics
Laurel says
Make the majority of board members black, and start recreating examples of the buildings that were once there. Right now, Fort Mose has nothing but a parking lot, a tiny museum and a boardwalk to the lake.
Peaches McGee says
Why can’t they use what’s already available and provide state support?
African American Cultural Society
https://aacspalmcoast.org/
Atwp says
The third part of the story says it all. Mister Leek thank you for another try. Anything thing to express our pass accomplishments and the other folks destroying our accomplishments is the present status quo. Doubt the museum will be built because it is about African American people. If the museum is built right it should show the horrors from the whites to my people. They don’t want their past demonic deeds known to the world, that is one reason they don’t want our history to be taught in today’s world. Much more to say but.
Epluribus Unum says
I hate to say it, but this seems to be the status quo for DeSantis. People of color are not to receive any positive recognition by his government for any past, present or prospective accomplishments. It’s truly unfortunate to paint such a narrowed picture of who we are as Americans on a whole. In America, our surroundings should reflect what we teach our children at home, especially if we want them to appreciate their heritage and their country, regardless of color/class/creed. To teach respect, we must show respect. By robbing any people of their history, we hurt ourselves as a community, as a country.
> 1 Corinthians 12:26 – “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” This verse directly teaches that the body of Christ (the community) shares in both pain and joy. Hurting one person impacts everyone.
> Romans 12:15 – “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” Paul reminds believers that empathy and shared experience are central to Christian fellowship.
> Galatians 6:2 – “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” When one person is weighed down, the group is called to help, showing that harm to one will affect all.