The purpose of the Division of Historical Resources is to identify, document, protect, preserve, interpret, and promote Florida's historical resources, as well as nurture an understanding of the state's cultural heritage and foster an appreciation of Florida's history and culture.

The division's four program areas provide a number of services to Floridians.

• Director's Office oversees a Historic Preservation Grants program to help preserve and maintain Florida's historic buildings and archaeological sites. It also coordinates outreach programs such as the State Historical Markers program and the Florida Folklife program, which identifies and promotes the state's traditional culture. Additionally, the division director serves as the State Historic Preservation Officer, acting as a liaison with the National Park Service's national historic preservation program.
• Bureau of Archaeological Research carries out archaeological surveys and excavations throughout the state, mostly on state-owned lands. These activities include underwater excavations such as shipwreck sites.
• Bureau of Historic Preservation conducts historic preservation programs aimed at identifying, evaluating, and preserving the historic and cultural resources of the state. The bureau oversees the National Register of Historic Places and maintain the state's historic buildings and archaeological sites.
• Bureau of Historic Museums is comprised of the Museum of Florida History, the state’s official history museum, The Grove Museum, Mission San Luis, and Knott House Museum. These museums interpret Florida history for the public through object-based exhibitions, living history interactions, and guided tours. Educational programs are offered for all ages and other tour groups year round.

Citizen advisory boards that assist the division in providing these services include the Florida Historical Commission, the Florida National Register Review Board, the State Historical Marker Council, and the Great Floridians Ad Hoc Selection Committee. The division is also assisted by one citizen support organization: Friends of Florida History.

Many of the state’s most significant sites are recorded in the Florida Master Site File, the official statewide digital inventory of historical and archaeological sites and resources across Florida. Through Fiscal Year 2021-22, the department reported a total of 238,473 historical and archeological sites recorded in the state's Master Site File, an increase of 5,546 from the prior year. 

The division is funded through General Revenue and two trust funds: the Land Acquisition Trust Fund and the Federal Grants Trust Fund.

Florida Museum of Black History. The 2023 Florida Legislature enacted Ch. 2023-72, Laws of Florida, which creates a Florida Museum of Black History Task Force within the Division of Historical Resources. The purpose of the task force is to provide recommendations for the planning, construction, operation, and administration of a Florida Museum of Black History. The law requires the task force to submit a report detailing its plans and recommendations by July 1, 2024, at which point the task force will expire.

Abandoned and Historic Cemeteries. The 2023 Florida Legislature enacted Ch. 2023-142, Laws of Florida, which creates the Historic Cemeteries Program and an Advisory Council within the Division of Historical Resources. For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the sum of $1 million in nonrecurring funds from the General Revenue Fund was appropriated to the Department of State to be used for grants for qualifying entities under the Historic Cemeteries Program. The program's duties and responsibilities include

• serving as the organizational center for recording and updating records of cemeteries in this state established at least 50 years ago;
  
• researching, identifying, and recording abandoned cemeteries, with an emphasis on abandoned African-American cemeteries;
  
• developing a curriculum in coordination with the Department of Education relating to abandoned and historic cemeteries, with a focus on citizenship, social responsibility, and history;
  
• establishing a priority for the placement of historical markers for erased, forgotten, lost, or abandoned African-American cemeteries;
• providing grants to research institutions for the purpose of conducting genealogical and historical research; and 
• providing grants to local governments and nonprofit organizations for the purpose of repairing, restoring, and maintaining abandoned African-American cemeteries.

Websites of Interest
Division of Historical Resources Publications
Museum of Florida History
National Historic Preservation Program

Performance Measures

Performance measures and standards for the department may be found in its Long Range Program Plan.

Chapters 163, 187,267  and s. 872.05 Florida Statutes

Division of Historical Resources, 850-245-6300
Website