As the task force choosing a site for the planned Florida Museum of Black History narrows its options, Seminole County has become the second Central Florida locale under consideration for the museum.
Pointing to the county’s diverse population and historic Black communities, Seminole officials applied this month to be the site for the museum, calling the county “the perfect location.”
“Seminole County has a rich Black history from before the county’s inception” in 1913, said Gui Cunha, administrator for Seminole’s office of economic development and tourism.
In its application to the task force, Seminole does not propose a specific location for the museum. However, it does list the historic communities of Goldsboro and Georgetown. Cunha noted that Goldsboro in west Sanford was incorporated as a Black community in 1891 before being annexed by the city of Sanford in the early 20th century.
The county’s application also notes that Georgetown, near Sanford’s downtown district, is where the historic Hopper Academy stands today. The two-story wooden structure on Pine Avenue was built in 1910 as a Black school during segregation before closing in 1962.
Besides Hopper Academy, St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church in Georgetown is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Seminole joins the town of Eatonville among the eight municipalities vying for the state-run museum. Others being considered are Jackson County, Nassau County, Opa-Locka, Panama City, Sarasota and St. Johns County, said Alissa Slade Lotane, a Department of State staffer working alongside the task force at a task force meeting Monday afternoon.
If Eatonville is chosen, the museum would be built on a portion of the 100-acre site of the former Hungerford school, but a court battle over the land between the Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community and Orange County Public Schools, which owns the property, could stand in the way of the museum coming to the historic Black town.
Seminole County’s application included several possible locations that are for sale for the task force to consider. Among them are empty plots of land that would allow for building a new museum structure and five existing buildings that could be converted into a museum. The majority of the options are within the city of Sanford with the remainder in Winter Springs, Oviedo, Altamonte Springs, Lake Mary and Casselberry.
“Seminole County offers an unparalleled combination of access, appeal, diversity, strong black history, and community support, making it an ideal choice for this initiative,” Cunha wrote in an application for the county.
The museum task force will meet again on April 19. Before the meeting, task force members will score the eight locales based on location, historic significance, available land and other criteria. Depending on the results of the scoring, up to four municipalities with the highest scores will be invited to Tallahassee to answer questions and make a presentation before the list is narrowed to three.
A location recommendation is due to state officials in June.
