BOBBY POWELL JR.: Leaving state Senate early to run for Palm Beach County Commission seat also being sought by fellow Democrat Richard Ryles, below, sponsored Florida Museum of Black History legislation in Senate. PHOTO COURTESY OF BOBBYPOWELLJR.COM

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Florida State Sen. Bobby Powell Jr., has been appointed to the Florida Museum of Black History Task Force.

Senate President Kathleen Passidomo appointed the West Palm Beach Democrat, suggesting his legislative experience can help play a vital role in helping develop plans for the location of the museum, designs and construction of the facility.

Passidomo said the proposed museum is the first of its kind in Florida.

"I am very grateful to Senate President Kathleen Passidomo for this groundbreaking opportunity," Powell said.

"Once completed, this museum will be an opportunity to showcase the many contributions, accomplishments, and influence of Black Floridians throughout history and inspire generations to come."

Powell sponsored a bill during the 2023 Legislative Session to create the task force within the Department of State’s Division of Historical Resources to study the idea of the Black History museum in Florida.

He co-sponsored another bill with Tampa House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, that instructs a task force to create a Historic Cemeteries Program to help restore abandoned historically Black graveyards throughout Florida, including Westview Cemetery in Pompano Beach which is the final resting place for the late actress and “Good Times” star Esther Rolle.

The nine-member task force is to recommend sites for the museum and determine costs for the project by July 1, 2024.

Florida has several African-American museums in cities that mostly recognize their hometown Black leaders, including Tallahasshee, Palm Coast, Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale and Delray Beach.

The proposed new museum will honor Blacks who made significant contributions to Florida’s history.

Powell is giving up his Senate District 30 seat early to run for a Palm Beach County Commission seat in 2024.

His opponent is fellow Democrat and attorney Richard Ryles for District 7, which covers all or part of Briny Breezes, Delray Beach, Gulf Stream, Hypoluxo, Lantana, Mangonia Park, Palm Beach, Palm Beach Shores, South Palm Beach, Riviera Beach and West Palm Beach.

Ryles, a former City of West Palm Beach commissioner, former president of the F. Malcolm Cunning Sr. Bar Association, and former chairman of the West Palm Beach Housing Authority, is president of the Black Caucus for Palm Beach County, which is protesting the ban on school textbooks by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and his allies.

“It is the position of the caucus that, despite unwavering loyalty to the Democratic Party, the political interests of the African American community have consistently taken a back seat once elections have been won," said Ryles. "We will no longer tolerate disinterest in the issues critical to our community."

According to the Palm Beach County Elections Department, Powell and Ryles have raised $61,260 and $46,775, respectively, for their campaigns.