Jacob Ogles
It looks like the Florida African-American Heritage Preservation Network won’t receive funding in the state budget.
The latest Senate offer on Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development zeroes out $800,000 set aside by the upper chamber for the effort. The House never budgeted money for the purpose, and it appears to have fallen victim to extended budget negotiations.
Of note, the Senate proposal had grown from just under $600,000 up to $800,000 before falling prey to the budget ax.
Sen. Rosalind Osgood, a Broward Democrat, had pursued that larger dollar amount in a local funding project request.
“The specific purpose is to serve the 30 network museums/sites that will receive direct grants from the FAAHPN network to help support their historical and cultural programming, technology upgrades, internship programs, heritage tourism, and serve the general public,” reads the application.
“These funds allow FAAHPN to be a resource for institutions, individuals, and agencies, including the Florida Department of State, School Districts and Local governments, where research, oral histories, and artifacts/or cultural treasures are needed to carry out historical and cultural preservation and heritage tourism themes, initiatives and programs.”
The bulk of funding was intended for subgrants to create and install exhibits at eligible museums.
The Preservation Network has existed since 2001, when it was launched by the John Gilmore Riley Center Museum in Tallahassee. It produces the Florida Black Heritage Trail Guide, which details Black history landmarks throughout the state.
“FAAHPN serves as an informational and technical assistance resource in response to a growing interest in preserving Florida’s African American culture, that of the African Diaspora and that of other related ethnically diverse historic resources globally,” reads a website for the network.
The funding effort collapsed at a time when Florida lawmakers have attempted to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts from the state budget. But Republicans in charge of the Legislature have always maintained that it doesn’t include the elimination of Black history.
Last week, lawmakers locked in $1 million in state funding for a new Florida Museum of Black History in the St. Augustine area.
