Bill supporting Black History Museum in St. Augustine passes unanimously in Senate committee. (Lucia Viti, SAR, March 13, 2025)

The new Black History Museum should be run by a non-profit, and not by the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners.  Form the St. Augustine Record: 

Bill supporting Black History Museum in St. Augustine passes unanimously in Senate committee

Lucia Viti

St. Augustine Record

• Senate Bill 466, which would establish a governing framework for the state's first Black History Museum in West Augustine, passed unanimously in a Florida Senate committee.
• The bill would create a board of directors to oversee the museum's commission, construction, operation, and administration.
• The bill will now move to the Senate Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government.

Senate Bill 466, which supports the efforts of St. Johns County to secure the state’s first Black History Museum in West Augustine has passed unanimously in a Florida Senate committee.

State Sen. Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, recently filed Senate Bill 466 to establish a governing framework for the museum. The bill passed the Senate committee on Community Affairs 7-0 on Tuesday.

Effective July 1, the bill establishes a board of directors to oversee the commission, construction, operation and administration of the museum. The Florida Museum of Black History Task Force selected St. Johns County – West Augustine – as the preferred location for the museum in June, voting 6-1 to formally transmit the recommendation to the Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature.

According to a news release from the St. Johns County Office of Public Affairs, the bill will establish a Florida Museum of Black History board of directors, with a selection process for appointing board members who will oversee the commission, construction, operation and administration of the Black History Museum. The Foundation for the Museum of Black History Inc. and the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners will collaborate to provide the board with administrative and staffing support for preconstruction activities.

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government is next on the list to hear the bill.

A companion bill in the Florida House, HB 659, sponsored by Rep. Kiyan Michael, R-Jacksonville, has been referred to the House Government Operations Subcommittee. A hearing date has not been announced.

Residents of St. Johns County traveled to Tallahassee on March 11 to attend the Florida Senate Community Affairs Committee meeting.Supporters included leaders from West Augustine, the City of St. Augustine, and County Commissioners Sarah Arnold and Christian Whitehurst.

I am beyond excited about the decision by the Community Affairs Committee,” Arnold said in the release. “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. I praise the community for traveling with us to Tallahassee to demonstrate their ongoing support for this project.”