A historical display stands at the future site of the Florida Museum of Black History in West Augustine. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
Published on September 17, 2026 at 3:52 pm
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In the latest step to develop St. Johns County into the future home of Florida’s State Black History Museum, the county has OK’d paying $125,000 to the organization laying the groundwork for the museum.
It’s a decision that split the county government amid concerns that its budget could get much leaner if voters approve an amendment to overhaul property taxes.
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Work to bring the State Black History Museum to St. Johns has been underway for years, ever since Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill in 2023 creating a task force to determine the location of the future museum.
Three years later and opening the doors — or even breaking ground — for the museum is a ways off.
As of now, the state has awarded St. Johns County with $2 million to put toward the planning and design for the museum. But some local leaders have argued that a lack of legislative support for the museum beyond its funding has slowed progress.
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Hesitation to set aside $125,000 for the museum wasn’t just because of its nascent status, but because of concerns about the county’s budget.
If voters pass Amendment 3 when they go to the polls in November, homeowners will receive a boost in their property tax exemptions, and the amount of money local governments get from residents will drop.
Despite those concerns, the St. Johns County Commission OK’d paying the foundation $125,000 from its bank of reserve funds.
The board passed the budget amendment by a 3-2 vote with County Commissioners Sarah Arnold, Clay Murphy and Christian Whitehurst voting in favor and Krista Joseph and Ann Taylor voting against it.
Joseph cited concerns about Amendment 3 funding, as did Taylor.
“I prefer to wait until we know about Amendment 3,” Taylor says.
Murphy, however, said it was important to prove that they are committed to the museum plans.
“I think we owe it not only to our county but to African Americans everywhere for us to step up and get skin in the game to bring this,” Murphy said.
The future Black History Museum
Howard Holley, the president of the foundation planning and raising money for the museum, said the county’s $125,000 is an investment.
“It’s building the capacity to raise $25 (million) to $50 million in private funds,” he said during the budget meeting Tuesday. “We have to put a plan together to go out and secure those funds. That’s what this is: capacity building.”
He says the foundation’s goal is to work on statewide community engagement and to hire a consultant to develop a strategic plan to find money for the museum. Holley also says the foundation wants to work closely with Visit Florida, the state’s tourism bureau.
“We know this will be a daunting effort, but through regionwide and statewide collaborations, we are confident we will prevail,” Holley tells Jacksonville Today. “This Museum will bring immense value to generations of Floridians and Americans. It’s an exciting time, and I thank the Board of County Commissioners for their ‘skin in game’ commitment.”
Budget concerns moving forward
A $125,000 expenditure may not sound like much when St. Johns County’s overall budget for the upcoming fiscal year is coming in at just under $2 billion, but county leaders are thinking about potential cuts to future property tax revenue.
County Commissioner Christian Whitehurst pointed out that spending on the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and Fire Rescue Department make up more than half of the county’s budget, and the majority of its increases over last year’s spending.
“Our public safety is taking nearly 80% of the increase in our budget at the flat millage rate, which is a wise investment of our tax dollars, but that means … $5.5 million has to be spread out over every other department in this county,” Whitehurst said. “$125,000 is going to start to look like a lot of money as the needs for public safety continue to increase and the increases to our budget diminish.”
Following the final approval earlier this week, St. Johns County is on track to adopt its nearly $2 billion budget. The 2027 fiscal year budget is scheduled to go into place on Oct. 1.
