WEST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The push to confirm West Augustine as the future home of the Florida Museum of Black History now has some competition.
The decision over where to place the planned Florida Museum of Black History pitted West Augustine against Eatonville, in what became a heated debate involving accusations of scoring biases.
West Augustine won out in the end, and St. Johns County Commissioner Sarah Arnold (R-District 2) argued it’s no surprise.
“Frankly, all of Northeast Florida is just so rich in culture and Black history,” said Arnold.
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The recommendation still needs the green light from state lawmakers.
But Eatonville is once again in the mix, with State Representative Bruce Antone (D-Orlando) filing a bill that would build what he’s calling the Museum of Florida History in the Central Florida town.
“Two-thirds would be Black history. Where we’ve come from since we got over here on the boat to where we are now,” said Antone.
Antone expressed disappointment in the way West Augustine won the task force’s recommendation.
“I’m not sure that was a sincere recommendation that came out of it,” said Antone.
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To add even more controversy to the mix, a third city, Opa-Locka, is also trying to outmaneuver West Augustine.
Legislation has been filed in both chambers that would designate the South Florida city as the Black history museum’s home.
“There are a lot of great places around the state with lots of merit and where it could have gone, but the Taskforce chose to put it in West Augustine,” said State Senator Tom Leek (R-St. Augustine).
Senator Leek, who is sponsoring the bill to confirm West Augustine as the Museum of Black History’s home, told Action News Jax he’s not worried, even with the renewed competition.
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“I feel like the legislature’s going to enact what the task force’s recommendation was,” said Leek.
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Arnold agreed and didn’t mince words when sharing her thoughts about the competing efforts.
“We expected some shenanigans, and I think that’s exactly what you’re seeing,” said Arnold.
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Antone suggested there’s no reason why all three bills couldn’t pass.
But given the long road to even get a single museum approved for construction, the likelihood of that outcome seems slim to none.
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