Historic day of celebration marks homecoming, health, and hope in West Augustine

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla., Feb. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, Jan. 23, St. Johns County and the West Augustine community marked a historic day of celebration recognizing legacy, progress, and long-term investment in one of the County's most historically significant communities.

The day included the official recognition of Florida Memorial University as a partner in the Florida Museum of Black History project, along with the ribbon-cutting of the West Augustine Health and Wellness Center. Together, the milestones reflected a shared commitment to honoring history while advancing health, opportunity, and equity for future generations.

Florida Memorial University's recognition formalized its return to West Augustine, where the institution began its third incarnation in 1918. FMU students and faculty played a significant role in local civil rights efforts during the 1950s and 1960s, helping advance national change that ultimately contributed to the university's relocation in 1968. FMU maintained ownership of its historic campus property, preserving both its physical presence and enduring connection to West Augustine.

"FMU returns to West Augustine today, not as a stranger, but as family coming home," said Florida Memorial University President William McCormick. "Our elders sacrificed for our buildings may have been torn down, but our roots were never uprooted. West Augustine holds Florida Memorial University's legacy in its soil."

That legacy now serves as the foundation for the Florida Museum of Black History, planned for the historic FMU site. The project will reflect the cultural, educational, and civil rights history rooted in West Augustine and the broader state of Florida. The former campus archway, once the front door to educational opportunity, will now welcome visitors to a space dedicated to preserving and sharing Black history statewide.

"By recognizing Florida Memorial University as an official partner of the Florida Museum of Black History, we affirm that history belongs where it was lived, that truth deserves a permanent home, and that partnership can be an act of restoration," said St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners Chair Clay Murphy.

"As we celebrate the return of FMU, this arch serves as a symbol of a new era for the school, its relevance in the history of this community, and its role as a premier partner in bringing the Florida Black History Museum to St. Johns County," said District 2 Commissioner Sarah Arnold.

County leadership emphasized that the partnership reflects a homecoming grounded in shared purpose, stewardship, and unity.

"This collaboration – to stand up the Florida Black History Museum on this sacred site in St. Johns County – is monumental," said County Administrator Joy Andrews.

The celebration continued with the ribbon-cutting of the West Augustine Health and Wellness Center, a long-anticipated facility designed to expand access to preventive care, fitness resources, mental health services, and wraparound support. Developed in response to sustained advocacy from West Augustine residents, the center addresses long-standing disparities in health care access while prioritizing prevention and long-term wellness.

"For a long time, West Augustine residents have been clear about what has been missing, and just as clear about what this community deserves," Murphy said. "This Health and Wellness Center is a direct response to that truth."

The facility represents the first medical clinic in West Augustine and is expected to have lasting impacts across generations by improving access to care close to home.

"When a community invests in wellness, it invests in the future. Our children, our seniors, our families, deserve a place to support not only where they live, but how they live," said Robert Nimmons, chair of the West Augustine Community Redevelopment Agency Steering Committee.

"From fitness to free medical care, and from medicine to mental health counseling – the West Augustine Health & Wellness Center will be a place of hope for many to achieve and maintain a healthy life," Arnold said.

County officials emphasized that the project was driven by community leadership and sustained collaboration among public and private partners.

"This clinic represents hope. It represents action. It represents a community refusing to accept high infant mortality, limited access to care, or the absence of wraparound wellness services as 'just the way things are,'" Andrews said.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Mark Bailey, president of the Bailey Group and a key partner in bringing the project to fruition, announced that the facility will be officially named the Greg and Lydia White Health and Wellness Center, honoring Greg White and his late wife, Lydia, whose decades of advocacy and leadership have helped shape and strengthen the West Augustine community.

Together, the day's events highlighted the power of persistence, partnership, and pride. From honoring Florida Memorial University's deep roots in West Augustine to opening a new hub for health and wellness, the Historic Day of Celebration marked a turning point defined by remembrance, resilience, and renewed opportunity for the community.

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Media Contact:
Tyler Jarnagin, Public Affairs Manager
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SOURCE St. Johns County