A statue of abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass now sits in downtown St. Augustine. | Noah Hertz, Jacksonville Today
Published on February 25, 2026 at 3:40 pm
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To cap off Black History Month, a statue of a renowned Black abolitionist and orator now sits near the very place where slaves were once sold in downtown St. Augustine, where the Ku Klux Klan once rallied, and where a monument to the Confederacy once stood.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis traveled to St. Augustine on Wednesday to unveil a new statue of civil rights activist and icon Frederick Douglass. The statue is the latest erected as part of Florida’s acknowledgement of America250, a national initiative to celebrate the U.S.A’s semiquincentennial.
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Joined by Secretary of State Cord Byrd and state Sens. Rosalind Osgood, D-Fort Lauderdale, Tracie Davis, D-Jacksonville, and Darryl Rousan, D-St. Petersburg, DeSantis presented the new statue and plaque at its home across the street from the Plaza de la Constitución.
Speaking to a crowd of local elected officials, the media and members of the public, DeSantis said Douglass was a prolific speaker and fighter for the abolition of slavery.
“He’s a great writer,” DeSantis said of Douglass. “Now, was he sent to boarding school and Harvard and stuff? No, he was a slave, and he had to teach himself how to do all those things, and it’s really a testament to grit and determination and prevailing against all odds that you would be able to reach the intellectual heights that he did with all the barriers that he faced.”
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Douglass visited St. Augustine in 1889, traveling by train from Jacksonville to deliver a speech at the Genovar Opera House. The opera house, once located not far from the plaza on St. George Street, burned down in 1914. A historical marker stands there today recognizing Douglass and his trip to St. Augustine.
DeSantis says the statue will help educate future generations about the fight for justice for Black people in America.
“He was fighting for the principles that we’re celebrating on July 4th, 250 years later,” DeSantis said. “And the fight for that is always something that you’ve got to do. Our founding fathers understood you could have a constitution, a declaration. Great. They don’t run on autopilot.”
Beyond Frederick Douglass
DeSantis also reaffirmed his support for the creation of a state Black history museum in St. Augustine.
A bill establishing the state’s official Black history museum failed to pass the state Legislature last year, but St. Johns County did receive $1 million to lay the groundwork for the museum.
Lawmakers could pass a bill supporting the museum before this year’s legislative session is scheduled to wrap up next month. Bill or no bill, DeSantis said it’s still a priority.
“One way or another, we’ll get it done,” he said.
Speaking at the news conference, Jacksonville lawmaker Sen. Tracie Davis praised DeSantis for placing the new statue in St. Augustine and said she believes in the governor’s support for the Black history museum.
“I know as long as this governor is in place, as long as he has St. Augustine in his heart, whether he’s the governor or not, he’s going to continue to help us with that,” Davis said.
