Preservation momentum keeps building into the new year! Historic preservation is still making headlines across Florida, and this month’s roundup highlights key stories to watch along with updates on ongoing efforts. Have preservation news or a project to celebrate? Share it with us!
Florida Trust News:
- Registration for the Preserve Florida 2026 conference is now open! Click here to register today and check our website for more information on all things Preserve Florida!
- The South Florida Business Journal reports that GBX Group recently acquired five historic downtown Miami properties. Read more here to learn more on this huge preservation deal!
- Longtime Florida Trust member, Fred Lyndon Stone, has passed away. Read more on his extraordinary life and times in Orlando here.
- And our Trustee Emeritus Spotlight for the month of March goes to…Dr. Bill Adams! At 90 years old, Bill wants you to know he’s still got it! Click here to read his full interview blog to catch up on Bill’s exemplary preservation career.
- 2022 11 to Save site, Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami-Dade, is set to reopen to the public in 2027 for its 100th anniversary. Read more here to follow the historic landmarks revitalization progress!
- A historic building on the nation’s oldest street in St. Augustine, built in 1885 and once used as the city’s jail, is headed for partial demolition. Trustee Emerita member Leslee Keys weighed in during this First Coast News interview. Click here for the full article.
- Join the Florida Trust Board! The Florida Trust for Historic Preservation is looking for new Board members. Interested? Start here by filling out our Board Interest Form and learn more about Board duties and responsibilities on the blog page here!
Ongoing Education:
- Save the date to join National Preservation Partners Network in Philadelphia this April to celebrate 250 years of the United States of America with your favorite preservationists! Click here to register today and gain more information on their annual Retreat and Summit.
- Can’t make the retreat and summit? Check out NPPN’s upcoming webinars during their spring and summer webinar series to stay in the loop.
In Other Preservation News:
- The Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation is thrilled to announce they are now accepting nominations for their 2027 Historic Preservation Awards—and they need your help to identify the projects and people who deserve to be celebrated. Click here for more information on the awards and to download the nomination form.
- Grave danger! St. Michael’s, one of Florida’s oldest cemeteries in Pensacola, has taken a beating from cars repeatedly crashing into it and leaving enough damage totaling over $80,000 in the last two years. Mike Thomin, current Florida Trust Board member and president of the St. Michael’s Cemetery Foundation shared this Facebook post about the most recent crash.
- The Division of Historical Resources will be accepting Small Matching, Special Category, and Abandoned African-American Cemeteries grant applications from April 1 to June 1. In order to apply, visit the Department’s online grant portal at dosgrants.com.
- The Miami Design and Preservation League is hiring! The Tours, Retail & Operations Manager would be responsible for leading MDPL’s public-facing experiences and building the operational structure that supports them. Think you may be a great fit for this leadership role? Read the full job description here and apply!
- Have you heard? The National Trust for Historic Preservation is now accepting applications for the Hart Family Fund for Small Towns grants. These grants generally range from $2,500 to $15,000. Click here for more information. The deadline to apply is May 1.
- Check out these other various grants offered by the National Trust here. Maybe there’s something for you, too!
- REG is hiring! This open position at REG Architects is for an Architectural Project Manager specializing in historic preservation, responsible for leading preservation and adaptive reuse projects across Florida from concept through construction. Interested candidates can send their resume and portfolio to Ricardo Gonzalez at rgonzalez@regarchitects.com
Have any other statewide preservation news you’d love to see shared? Email Larry Crumbie at lcrumbie@floridatrust.org today!