TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Eatonville is among three finalist cities selected to host the soon-to-come Black History Museum in Florida.

What You Need To Know

  •  Eatonville is among three finalist cities hoping to host Florida's soon-to-come Black History Museum

  •  Sarasota failed to advance in the selection process, failing into fourth place behind Opa-Locka

  •  The task force must deliver a final report by July 1

“We have so much power in our community that we caught on fire practically to get here,” said St. Augustine City Commissioner Cynthia Garris, alluding to a bus fire that delayed attendees traveling to the meeting. “We are striving. We are moving. We are doing things.”

A state task force on Friday nominated Eatonville, Saint Augustine and Opa-Locka as finalists. Together, they beat out more than a dozen other applicant cities, including Sarasota, which fell out of third place to Opa-Locka at Friday’s meeting.

“Our biggest obstacle was the size of the site that we selected,” Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition President Vicki Oldham told WMNF. “St. Augustine and Eatonville, they proposed a much larger facility than we did.”

Saint Augustine is top ranked in the panel’s standings, though Eatonville is a close second — trailing narrowly by one point. The ranking system contemplated factors such as historical relevance, local economy and regional transportation.

Under the plan, the museum must document slavery and segregation, as well as notable Black Floridians in history. The museum musts also spotlight HBCUs and the contributions of African American veterans, including the Tuskegee Airmen.

“We the town of Eatonville are excited about the potential impact the Florida Museum of History can have on the town of Eatonville and the celebration to showcase Black history,” said Shan Rose, executive director of Eatonville’s Community Redevelopment Agency.

The three proposed plans now await review by Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University’s engineering department. The task force must finalize a location and deliver a report to Gov. Ron DeSantis, among others, prior to July 1.