Sen. Tom Leek, a North Florida Republican, filed a bill Monday to officially name St. Johns County as the site for Florida’s Black History Museum. Leek’s district includes Flagler and portions of St. Johns and Volusia.
Leek’s filing of SB 466 comes more than six months after a panel tasked with making recommendations for the museum’s construction issued its final report to Gov. Ron DeSantis and the leaders of the Republican-led Legislature. The panel includes Flagler County’s Howard Holley.
“As we recognize February as Black History Month, I am proud to file Senate Bill 466 as we move forward as the preferred location for the Florida Museum of Black History,” Leek said in a press release. “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.” The bill does not propose any funds for the museum.
Florida Memorial University agreed to lease 17 acres of land for the museum, about a 10-minute drive outside of St. Augustine.
The museum’s location was at the center of a dispute that intensified over the task force’s 10 meetings between members who favored St. Johns and others who wanted Eatonville in Orange County to be the site. The task force included several members of the Legislature, who accused each other of bias toward a site closer to the areas they represent.
Orange County Democratic Rep. Bruce Antone, who pushed for the Legislature to create the task force but wasn’t a part of it, told the Florida Phoenix in June that the St. Johns location was inadequate because it was underdeveloped and isolated. He slammed the task force for focusing too much on the museum site instead of discussing other aspects, such as a business model and educational content.
The bill establishes the Florida Museum of Black History board of directors, made up of 13 people. The governor would appoint three members, and the Senate president and House speaker would appoint five each, including two lawmakers from each chamber. The legislation does not include any funds for the museum.
St. Johns County was the site of Florida’s first Black settlement (Fort Mose) in 1738 when the Spanish still colonized the region.
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