ORLANDO, Fla. — Months after a committee selected St. Augustine as the preferred location of a future Florida Black History Museum in a vote tainted by controversy, a new battle appears to be taking shape in Tallahassee.
Lawmakers have filed three competing proposals for facilities in St. Augustine, Opa-Locka and Eatonville, which were the three finalists weighed by committee members.
Each bill professes its site as the best location and asks for state funding to help get the project moving.
St. Augustine’s bill cites the committee selection, while its backers spoke about the historic city and the tourism it draws.
“The great thing about putting it in the St. Augustine area is that tourism is driven by people who are studying history,” Sen. Tom Leek (R-St. Johns) said in an interview with WJAX. “People who want to come to the nation’s oldest city, right?”
Opa-Locka’s proposal says the city is the most ready to break ground and asked for $1.5 million to help construct a temporary museum until a proper project is advanced.
Rep. Bruce Antone (D-Orange) filed Eatonville’s proposal Thursday and marveled at the site right off I-4 and minutes from the world’s tourism capital.
“The best quality museum is best suited for Orlando,” he said.
Antone’s proposal asks for $75 million over five years and frames the museum as a Florida Museum of History. While much of the space would be dedicated to Black history, he said at least a third would go to exhibits showcasing nature, citrus, railroads, rockets and the Cuban migration.
Because of this, Antone said his bid did not compete with the other two.
“It’s going to be a tough road ahead, but again, I’m just going to try to outwork and outsell my colleagues. I think we can get it done,” he said, predicting any museum in Orlando would be self-sufficient once it’s operational. “It can be an economic driver and work if done properly.”
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