Florida
Here are places to explore Black history across Northeast Florida
Jacksonville and its surrounding areas are deeply rooted in rich Black history, leaving a lasting impact on the world we know today.
In honor of Black History Month, here’s a list of places in Northeast Florida you can explore to learn about the many stories, contributions and moments continuously shaping the future.
Jacksonville
Norman Studios
Norman Studios is the sole surviving studio from Jacksonville’s heyday as a major film production hub and one of the first to produce films starring African American characters in positive, non-stereotypical roles, according to the museum’s website.
Norman Studios Silent Film Museum honors preservationist Rita Reagan with gala event
The studio produced films such as “The Green Eyed Monster” and “The Flying Ace.”
The museum is open the first and third Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Located at 6337 Arlington Road. It’s free and open to the public.
Henry L. Aaron Field at James P. Small Memorial Stadium
Built in 1912, this baseball stadium was home to the Jacksonville Redcaps and housed numerous sporting legends.
Henry Aaron, Leroy “Satchel” Paige, Roy Campanella, James “Cool Papa” Bell and William “Judy” Johnson passed through on their way to baseball’s “Hall of Fame”.
‘Steeped in history’: Modern upgrades honor legacy of historic J.P. Small Park and Hank Aaron Field in Durkeeville
Located at 1701 Myrtle Avenue, the field includes a free museum dedicated to the Negro Leagues that is open for tours with an advance reservation, according to the Durkeeville Historical Society.
Ritz Theatre & Museum
Located on the site of the 1929 Ritz Theater movie house in Jacksonville’s historic African American community of LaVilla, the museum celebrates African American heritage through the stories of famous Floridians.
From their website: “Listen to Jacksonville’s native sons, James Weldon and John Rosamond Johnson tell you how their song Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing became the African American National Anthem. Peek into Clara White’s Mission. Feel the vibe of the “Harlem of the South” nightclub in the 1940’s. Find your relative or neighborhood in the society photographs of Ellie L. Weems. Experience a sit-in at the Woolworths counter as the Civil Rights Protestors did in the 1960’s.”
Located at 829 N Davis St, Jacksonville, FL 32202. Standard admission is $8. Click here to view museum hours.
The Jacksonville Public Library
The Jacksonville Public Library offers readers at any of its 21 locations the ability to search through its African American History Collection. The collection includes books, pamphlets, photographs, newspapers, documents and more.
Browse the catalog here.
St. Augustine
The Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center
Located in the Lincolnville Historic District, which was settled by freedmen and women in the wake of the Civil War, visitors can learn about more than 450 years of St. Augustine’s Black history.
From the empires of West Africa and the early black presence in colonial Florida to the 20th century: View full list of exhibits here.
In 1947, Black residents weren’t allowed on St. Johns County beaches. So Frank Butler created his own
The museum is housed in the historic Excelsior School Building, which served as the first public Black high school in St. Johns County in 1925 at 102 M. L. King Avenue St.Augustine, FL, 32084.
Hours of operation
-
Sun – Mon: 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
-
Tue – Sat: 10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Admission
-
Adults – $10
-
Youth 17 and Under; College Students with valid I.D. – $5
-
10% Military and Senior Discount
Fort Mose
Fort Mose is the site of the first legally sanctioned free African American settlement.
While the Fort itself no longer stands, the site is the location of the National Underground Railroad to Freedom, the Florida African American History Trail, and the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.
Located at 15 Fort Mose Trail St. Augustine, FL 32084, the grounds are open daily from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Admission is free.
The Visitor Center is open Thursday – Monday only. The museum entrance fee is $2. Children under 6 enter for free.
Admission to the park grounds is free.
For a list of special events click here.
ACCORD Civil Rights Museum & Freedom Trail
Founded in 2014 by the Anniversary to Commemorate the Civil Rights Demonstrations (ACCORD), the museum houses displays sharing stories from the local 1960s Civil Rights Movement.
According to the city, St. Augustine was a leading battlefield during the movement and the only place in Florida where Dr. Martin Luther King was arrested. Events and demonstrations in the city led directly to the passage of the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act.
The museum is located at 79 Bridge Street, St. Augustine, which was previously the dental office of Doctor Robert B. Hayling, the leader of the local Civil Rights Movement.
It is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
ACCORD also hosts The Freedom Trail Project, and cell phone audio tour, which consists of 31 historic markers located at significant sites throughout St. Augustine.
Here’s a full list of locations on the ACCORD Freedom Trail.
ACCORD Freedom Trail brochures and maps are available at the Visitor Information Center at 10 S. Castillo Drive St. Augustine, FL 32084.
Amelia Island
The A.L. Lewis Museum
American Beach, which was founded by A.L. Lewis in the 1930s, served as a place of refuge for African Americans during segregation.
The A.L. Lewis Museum is dedicated to the history and contributions of African Americans in American Beach and throughout Amelia Island.
Located at 1600 Julia St, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034.
Hours of operation
-
Fri – Sat: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
-
Sun: 1 p.m.- 5 p.m.
Tickets for adults are $10. Student tickets are $5.
Former American Beach Museum reveals new sign ahead of grand re-opening in Amelia Island
Missed your favorite spot? Shoot us an email at digitalteam@wjxt.com.
Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.
Archive photos show a sea of green in Florida. What usually causes harmful algal blooms along the Sunshine State’s coasts?
Harmful algal blooms — out-of-control colonies of microscopic algae — are a “growing problem” in every “U.S. coastal and Great Lakes state,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
They affect the “health of people and marine ecosystems,” and can also have a detrimental effect on the economy, according to NOAA, especially in coastal communities that are particularly dependent on fishing and tourism.
Climate change, along with increases in nutrient pollution, could cause harmful algal blooms (HABs) to occur more frequently, according to the agency.
Harmful algal blooms can “produce toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals and birds,” NOAA’s website states. Human illnesses caused by HABs are rare, but they can be “debilitating or even fatal.”
Sea of green? Aerial photos show toxic algae blooms, including in Florida waters
What are harmful algal blooms composed of?
Harmful algal blooms can be caused by a range of organisms, NOAA states, including “toxic and noxious phytoplankton, cyanobacteria, benthic algae, and macroalgae.”
Some HABs can make wildlife-killing toxins that negatively affect fish, mammals and birds, and can also cause human sickness or death in “extreme cases.” Other blooms, while nontoxic, can consume “all of the oxygen in the water as they decay, clog the gills of fish and invertebrates, or smother corals and submerged aquatic vegetation.” Additionally, some algae can discolor water, pile up on beaches or contaminate drinking water.
What usually causes harmful algal blooms along Florida’s coasts?
In the Gulf of Mexico, especially along the west coast of Florida, HABs are most often caused by Karenia brevis, which can turn the surface of the ocean a deep red.
Although there’s no way to predict exactly when a Karenia brevis overgrowth might occur, scientists can forecast the movement of a “red tide” when it does crop up by using wind and water data, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
They can last “as little as a few weeks or longer than a year,” and how long a bloom persists in “nearshore Florida waters” depends on a variety of factors, including nutrients, salinity and sunlight, reads the FWC’s website.
Sarah Perkel is a South Florida Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network’s Florida Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
EA Sports released its official team ratings for College Football 27, and the Florida Gators checked in at No. 19 with an 84 overall rating.
Jon Sumrall’s team was granted an 84 offensive rating and a 83 defensive rating, indicating balance on both sides of the ball. Florida is one of 10 SEC programs to crack the top 25. Oregon leads the field with an overall rating of 91. The Ducks are followed by Ohio State (90), Indiana (90), Notre Dame (89) and Texas (89). UF joins nine other SEC teams rated inside the top 25.
The rating continues a major thrust of positive sentiment around Sumrall and the Gators. During this offseason, Florida has been pegged as a CFB playoff dark horse, an SEC wild card and one of sport’s biggest sleepers. The valuation is likely fueled by the Orange and Blue’s transfer portal additions and the retention of key pieces, including junior running back Jadan Baugh, who notched Second-Team All-SEC honors last season.
Sumrall’s cultural reset in Gainesville has started a buzz around college football that has continued to grow louder by the month. Despite a massive roster overhaul and the departure of a five-star quarterback, the Gators have seen a jolt in their national perception.
To reestablish a championship standard, UF will have to navigate an arduous nine-game conference schedule. The Gators face No. 17-rated Missouri (85) in Week 5, No. 5-rated Texas (89) in Week 7, No. 9-rated Georgia (87) in Week 8 and No. 10-rated Oklahoma (87) in Week 9.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
RIVERVIEW, Fla. (CBS12) — A Florida man was arrested after investigators linked him to a fatal fentanyl overdose that occurred in December.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded Dec. 29, 2025, to a home on Balm Boyette Road in Riverview, where they discovered the body of a woman identified as 43-year-old Grace Remington. Investigators determined she died from a fentanyl overdose.
See also: Man killed, grandson arrested after family dispute leads to quadruple shooting in PBC
According to the sheriff’s office, the investigation revealed that Aaron Lee Morris had delivered the fentanyl to Remington before her death. Toxicology results showed a fatal amount of the drug in her system.
On Tuesday, HCSO’s Opioid Overdose Investigation Section arrested Morris, 46, and charged him with first-degree murder resulting from the unlawful distribution of a controlled substance.
“Fentanyl continues to destroy lives and devastate families in our community,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “If you choose to distribute this deadly poison, you will be held accountable for the lives lost as a result of your actions.”
-
Sports3 minutes agoShohei Ohtani is the first Dodger to be named 2026 All-Star
-
World13 minutes agoWho will control Africa’s AI infrastructure and at what cost
-
News40 minutes agoThe Supreme Court says the U.S. can turn away asylum seekers at the border
-
Los Angeles, Ca2 hours agoJury says it is deadlocked in trial of man accused in Palisades Fire
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoScene active as police shoot, kill man on Detroit’s west side
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoCivil grand jury report warns of wildfire risk at SF’s Glen Canyon Park
-
Dallas, TX3 hours agoIvory Coast advances at World Cup, how to buy Ivory Coast tickets
-
Miami, FL3 hours agoMen used fake credentials to enter Brazil vs. Scotland match at Miami Stadium, deputies say
