ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A project to reconstruct the 1738 version of Fort Mose at Fort Mose Historic State Park in St. Augustine received the green light for an additional $200,000.
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The St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners approved the additional funding from Tourist Development Tax revenue. This follows the previously approved $50,000 grant match.
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“The reconstruction of Fort Mose is significant to St. Johns County tourism,” Tera Meeks, St. Johns County Director of Tourism and Cultural Development said in a news release. “It really makes a point of interest for this park. It helps to develop that quilt of history that brings people, keep them here, and keeps them coming back.”
Watch: Fort Mose Reconstruction 2023 video feature
Fort Mose was detailed in August 2023 by the St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors & Convention Bureau as the “first legally sanctioned free Black community in America.”
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According to the Board of County Commissioners, in addition to the funding by the county, $3 million has been received from the Florida Park Service, a Department of State -- Florida African-American Cultural & Historical Grant, and private donations.
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