As more erased cemeteries are discovered, lawmakers move to preserve and honor history

TAMPA, Fla. - Hillsborough County commissioners learned of 45 new unmarked graves and burial sites on county property Wednesday, just as the state legislature considered a bill that would find and save those sites across Florida. 

Anthropologists at the University of South Florida filled in county leaders on a reporting investigating erased cemeteries and burial grounds for African Americans and other groups. Their findings highlight a growing need to uncover them, preserve the history and remember the deceased.

 "It is never too late to respect families and humans that were disrespected in our past," said State Senator Janet Cruz (D-Hillsborough County).

 Cruz said she and State Representative Fentrice Driskell are on a mission to honor the past statewide.

 "We think that there are probably about 5,000, maybe 6000 abandoned cemeteries, and those are the ones that we think there could be. There could be many more that we don't know because they were lost or stolen," Cruz told FOX 13.

 Last year, their legislation created an abandoned cemeteries taskforce that came up with recommendations on what to do about those sites. In a subcommittee meeting Wednesday, Driskell told lawmakers how her new bill, HB 1215, will make those suggestions a reality.

 "One of the most exciting things about this bill is that it will create the Office of Historic Cemeteries in the Department of State who can help not just African American communities, but all communities to figure out what to do when these sorts of cemeteries are discovered," said Driskell (D-Hillsborough County), during the meeting.

Driskell added this in a statement: "I am proud of the efforts we are making at the state level to address abandoned cemeteries, and specifically African American cemeteries that were neglected, stolen, or abandoned. This is a pervasive, statewide issue that requires the State to partner with local communities, and it is an honor to carry HB 1215 this legislative session to create an Office of Historic Cemeteries within the Department of State’s Division of Historical Resources. If passed, my legislation would establish this office to protect and preserve abandoned and forgotten cemeteries and to serve as a nexus among state and local governments, which is needed now more than ever."

Cruz said the bill would also establish a home base for reporting discoveries and prioritize memorializing the dead.

"This is just our commitment to saying, this happened. It was a different time, but we live here and now, and we're going to make this better," said Cruz.

Driskell’s bill has passed through several committees so far, but Cruz said their work is not over yet. They have about three more weeks to get the bill passed in the 2022 legislative session.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 

Zion Cemetery at Robles Park, Tampa

• Nearly 130 gravesites discovered underneath Tampa apartment complex 
• Number of graves in forgotten Zion Cemetery increases to 300 after Florida Ave. discovery
• Search continues for more forgotten Zion Cemetery graves
• After more graves found at Zion Cemetery, leaders contemplate long-term plans
• USF researchers to begin searching for possible lost graves in Robles Park

Ridgewood Cemetery at King High School, Tampa

• 145 graves discovered on grounds of King High School in Tampa
• Hillsborough school officials review memorial plans for Ridgewood Cemetery unearthed at King High
• Hillsborough County leaders take next steps on Ridgewood Cemetery memorial

MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa

• There may be unmarked graves at MacDill Air Force Base, historians say
• MacDill ceremony honors long-lost African American cemetery
• Dogs trained to find bodies after thousands of years search for graves of African Americans at MacDill Air Force Base

All People’s Cemetery, Hillsborough County

• New search underway in Hillsborough County for forgotten graves

Lincoln Cemetery, St. Petersburg

• Pinellas students mark 19 blank graves in African American cemetery

Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg

• Tropicana Field parking lot may be site of forgotten African American cemetery
• Radar identifies three possible graves under Tropicana Field parking lots

Frank Crum building, Clearwater

• Search for lost cemeteries moves across Tampa Bay
• Team maps Clearwater field in search of unmarked graves 
• 124 graves from two Black cemeteries found in Clearwater 
• Crews to begin search for graves at forgotten Black cemetery in Clearwater 
• Archeologists find more African American graves on private land in Clearwater

Greenwood Cemetery at Curtis Fundamental and Palmetto Elementary School, Clearwater

• Researchers confirm discovery of 29 African American graves from Greenwood Cemetery in Clearwater 
• Archaeologists find 44 possible unmarked graves from forgotten North Greenwood Cemetery
• Archaeologists continue work to investigate unmarked graves at Clearwater cemetery 
• Graves from African American cemetery located on Pinellas County school property
• Engineers search for lost African American graves in Clearwater

Region/State

• State considers establishing department to find, honor lost cemeteries
• Thousands of unmarked graves may be buried under homes and businesses
• Black Cemetery Network tracking lost African American graves across the country
• Students, city team up to restore Sarasota's first African-American cemetery 
• USF archeologist map unmarked graves at Oaklawn Cemetery
• Researchers to look for more graves on grounds of Dozier school