Historic Preservation in Florida

Preservation plays an important role here at the Florida Department of State. We have a whole bureau within the Division of Historical Resources, the Bureau of Historic Preservation, that works to identify, evaluate, preserve, and interpret the historic and cultural resources of the state. The division director serves as the state's Historic Preservation Officer. The division also maintains Florida's Master Site File, which is Florida's official inventory of historical cultural resources, and they also oversee the State Historical Markers Program and the National Register of Historic Places program for Florida, as well as administering the Historic Preservation Grants Program and assisting applicants for federal tax benefits and other local and state programs to aid in the preservation of historic buildings and other historic resources of significance. I sat down with a couple members of this bureau to discuss some of the work they do with a look at architecture in Florida and also how America's Bicentennial played a part in how we preserve things today.