It was founded by Walter and Edith Lobenberg both of whom were German Jews who escaped persecution in Nazi Germany by immigrating to the United States.

Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, was Honorary Chairman and cut the ribbon at the 1998 opening ceremony.

It was in Frankfurt in 1938 that the Loebenberg family experienced Kristallnacht, with Walter narrowly escaping physical harm and being forced to hide.

It began to run teaching seminars, lectures, and commemorative events and to provide schools in an eight county area surrounding Tampa Bay with study guides, teacher training programs, and presentations by Center staff and Holocaust survivors.

[4][5][6] The permanent collection of the Florida Holocaust Museum is housed on the first floor in an exhibit titled: "History, Heritage, and Hope".

The centerpiece of the permanent collection is an actual box car #113 069-5 (from Gdynia, Poland)[7] that transported victims of the Nazi regime to the concentration camps.

This pioneering project integrates advanced filming techniques, specialized display technologies and next generation natural language processing to create an interactive biography.

[9] A special exhibit, Humanity behind Barbed Wire, informs the visitor about a little known occurrence in Florida history, the internment of more than 10,000 German prisoners of war throughout the state, including McDill Air Force Base in Tampa.

[10] The Florida Holocaust Museum additionally runs several programs of outreach within the community with the aim of continuing their mission of raising awareness of human rights.

",[11] which is a multi-session program that aims to engage students in discussion and includes guest speakers such as Holocaust survivors, law enforcement officers, and activists.

[13] Additionally, the Generations After group is made up of the daughters, sons, and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, who are dedicated to telling their families' stories.