St. Johns County has put $125,000 toward the planned Florida Museum of Black History in St. Augustine, giving a private fundraising foundation what County Administrator Joy Andrews called "seed money."

The county commission approved the funds for the Foundation for the Museum of Black History, a nonprofit led by Executive Director Alesia Wilbekin, as first reported by the St. Augustine Record. Andrews told the Record the money will help the foundation build its fundraising capacity to pursue larger donations and other funding sources.

Lease secures former university campus site

The allocation is the latest step in the county's push to bring the museum to the former Florida Memorial University campus in West Augustine. The Florida Memorial University Foundation agreed to lease 14.5 acres of that property to the county for the museum.

In October 2025, commissioners unanimously approved a ground lease at $1,000 per month for an initial two-year term. If the county secures enough state funding, the lease can extend to 30 years with up to three 30-year renewals.

State funding adds $2 million so far

State dollars have followed.

The state appropriated $1 million for planning and design, a milestone the county celebrated at a Sept. 18, 2025, event on the site. A second $1 million for Phase 1B survived Gov. Ron DeSantis' vetoes in the 2026-27 state budget, according to Jax Today.

How St. Johns County won the museum

The museum project traces to May 2023, when DeSantis signed a bill creating a nine-member task force to recommend a site. In June 2024, the task force ranked St. Johns County first among three finalists, ahead of Eatonville in Orange County and Opa-locka in Miami-Dade County.

Legislation to formally codify the county as the museum's permanent home passed the Florida Senate in February 2026 as Senate Bill 308, sponsored by Sen. Tom Leek. The House companion, House Bill 525 by Rep. Kiyan Michael, had not been heard in committee as of that date, Florida Politics reported.

District 2 Commissioner Sarah Arnold, who has championed the project, spoke at that celebration. "I'd be lying if I didn't say I'd imagined this day many, many times over the last couple of years," Arnold said, according to county records.

As the project moves toward construction, more information about the museum is available on the county's project page.