EATONVILLE, Fla. — It was a tough turn of events for the town of Eatonville this week, as a state task force voted in favor of St. Augustine for a new Black history museum.

Eatonville councilman Tarus Mack says the town may be down but they are not out, simply because St. Johns County has yet to show they have the resources that Eatonville presented.

“We got the land,” Eatonville councilman Tarus Mack said. “We got the funding for it, we got the backing of Orange County, we got the I-4 corridor itself.”

Despite the disheartening feeling many now have, there still is a small window of opportunity this museum could still end up in Eatonville.

Eatonville resident, Dr. Candace Finley, made a presentation to the task force one final time on Tuesday. She told them a vision of having a Black history museum in the tourist destination of central Florida.

She says the process is far from over and the ball is now in St. Johns County to deliver some answers.

“We just have to be prepared,” Finley said. “We have to be strategic on what we are going to do, but we cannot stop. The feasibility vote is a win. I do not feel defeated.”

Julian Johnson, founder of the historic preservation organization 1887 First, says it was a lack of unity and vision that ultimately cost Eatonville the bid.

“St. Augustine had bus loads of people go up to the task force,” Johnson said. “I asked the simple question: ‘why didn’t we?’ That’s some questions people need to ask the government.”

Johnson says he won’t let this decision be a defining moment for Eatonville and his hope is the city can get back to focusing on current infrastructure issues the town currently faces.

 “We have boil water notices almost every month, it’s the little things,” he said. “The disconnect between the government and the townspeople. There’s a lot of problems that have not been solved yet.”

Before the task force recommendation can go to the legislature for approval, details on funding for the museum will need to be completed.