The Woodson African American Museum of Florida's newly renovated museum is set to reopen July 11 as part of its 20th anniversary celebration, coinciding with the opening of a Smithsonian-linked America 250 exhibition. The Woodson was selected as one of only three Florida organizations to present the "Many Voices One Nation — Our Community" exhibition.
The museum's reopening marks a significant moment as the institution enters a new chapter with potential for a permanent home. Mayor Ken Welch selected The Burg Bid proposal as the city's preferred redevelopment plan for Tropicana Field and the surrounding Historic Gas Plant District. The $8.1 billion plan places The Woodson within Samuel Davis Park along a diagonal pedestrian corridor called the Legacy Link, where it would serve as "an anchor and a civic landmark for the Gas Plant District." The proposal emphasizes respect for the history of the former Gas Plant neighborhood, a predominantly Black community razed decades ago to make way for Tropicana Field. The team proposes preserving the original gas tank footprint within Samuel Davis Park and weaving historic references throughout the Legacy Link and other cultural amenities to tell the story of the community that once stood there.