Eatonville to receive $80 million for historic preservation and new museum

Orange County commissioners approved the funding on Monday, and town leaders say it will help bring the historic town’s story to a bigger audience.The Town of Eatonville is getting $80 million from Orange County’s tourist development tax, money leaders say will help the historic town preserve and share its history.Orange County commissioners voted 6-1 on Monday to approve a spending plan that funds projects across the county, financed by the tax on hotel stays and short-term rentals. Two of the approved projects are in Eatonville, which Black residents incorporated in 1887 and is known as one of the oldest Black towns in the country.The largest is $60 million for the Eatonville Museum of Culture History, sponsored by Dr. Phillips Charities. It will be built on the Hungerford property, once the site of a school for Black children.Dr. Candice Finley, founder and executive director of Esteem Learning Inc., sits on the Dr. Phillips Eatonville Initiative Advisory Committee. She said Dr. P