Latest news with #SenateBill466
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Eatonville back in the running as proposed amendment rekindles hope for black history museum
The nation's oldest incorporated Black municipality may soon have another opportunity to host a Black History Museum. 'I'm really praying that they will have a change of mind and a lot of us have been praying that it will come back here,' said Glenn Paige, Owner of Blessed By The Best Barber and Beauty Salon. Tuesday, State Representative Bruce Antone amended Senate Bill 466, aiming to designate Eatonville, along with St. Johns County and Opa-Locka, as potential sites for the museum. The amendment seeks to rectify previous decisions and ensure a more inclusive selection process. 'My museum would be 30% dedicated to the history of Florida, and the other 70% would be dedicated to black history, meaning we're going to remember the past, but we're going to celebrate the future,' said Antone. Antone's amendment comes after a contentious decision by the Florida Museum of Black History Task Force, which previously selected an undeveloped site in St. Johns County over Eatonville despite the rich history and readiness to host the museum. Orange County wanted to build a facility that included a performing arts center and a hotel off Interstate 4 and argued the former Hungerford School site was best poised for success. St. Johns County leaned heavily on its history and the heavily weighted scoring to rise above concerns that its rural location was far from anything else and wouldn't be able to sustain a major museum. 'St. Augustine was supposed to do a feasibility study, which they had not done. So, they don't know whether a museum can sustain itself in St. Augustine, but it can certainly sustain itself in Orange County,' said Antone. Antone said the amendment is not to take away from St. Johns County but to more locations that work for everyone. Senate Bill 466 was passed in the Senate back in April and sent to the House in messages. The amendment would strike the language in the bill that only creates a Black History Museum in St. Johns County. It would then add language to create three Florida Museum of History locations in St. Johns County, Opa-Locka, and Eatonville. The amendment would also include The Department of State partnering with each location, the locations must conduct a financial feasibility study, and budgets must match on a one-to-one basis with any combination of local government funding, grants, or philanthropic contributions not exceeding $75 million over 5 years. For Eatonville, this development is more than a legislative change but an opportunity to celebrate and preserve its unique heritage. The establishment of the museum would not only honor the town's legacy but serve as an educational and cultural hub for future generations. Residents said placing the museum on the site of the former Hungerford School would help the town thrive economically. State Rep Antone said Orlando's tourist power marks Eatonville as a viable place for the museum. 'The town of Eatonville and Orange County offers a much better prospect for a museum that is able to sustain itself. Meaning enough money would come in just from the admission because the feasibility study for Orange County said that maybe half a million people would visit the museum. If you charge $10, that's 5 million dollars per year that could be used for operational management,' said Antone. The proposed amendment aims to rectify this by acknowledging multiple historically significant locations, giving Eatonville another chance. Resident said the move would be a step toward inclusivity and recognition of the diverse narratives that constitute Florida's Black history. 'We have a lot of hope in Eatonville,' said Paige. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers differ over location of Florida's Black history museum
SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida has a rich and long history involving contributions from its Black residents. There are areas across the state highlighting those struggles and efforts. Some of those key moments are displayed at the Robert W Saunders, Sr Public Library in Tampa. However, there's a push at a larger scale for a central spot to honor and learn about Florida's Black history. Republican Tom Leek, out of the Jacksonville area, has filed Senate Bill 466 to have The Florida Museum of Black History built in St. Johns County, which is the state's first Black settlement back in the 1700s. 'One of the great things about St. Augustine is its entire tourist culture is built around history. So, when we add museums to Florida, you want a place that it can be viable,' Leek said. In May 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law creating a task force to find locations. Then, the governor along with the then-state senate and house leaders made appointments to that task force. 'What my bill does is actually codifies what the task force decided and then puts the structure around what the museum will be,' Leek said. Democratic state Rep. Bruce Antone, out of the Orlando area, is the lawmaker who filed the measure to create that task force. Now, wants a different outcome. He plans to introduce a bill for a museum in Eatonville, north of Orlando, America's oldest incorporated Black community. 'In the midst of Orange County, Florida, which has 1.5 million folks. Their museum is in a place that inaccessible, at least I believe it's inaccessible,' Antone said. Antone also said his idea of a museum will also focus more on the positives from Florida's Black residents and communities. He also feels his planned museum would get more foot traffic since it's so close to the theme parks and is critical of the task force's selection. 'A city of 15,000, 700 Black folks. It's at least an hour away from Jacksonville,' Antone said. Antone plans to sell his idea to lawmakers by saying there's room for two museums in the state. Although, it's likely the Republican-led legislature will only move forward with the plan for St. Augustine. The next step, if passed, is for the foundation to start fundraising. Officials in the proposed area have already guaranteed funding for the museum as well. State documents show Marian Anderson Place in Sarasota was a proposed site. City officials wanted the city chosen because it is known for helping integrate public beaches and it's a spot where hundreds of escaped slaves settled. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
