TAMPA, Fla. โ Founded in 1919, Memorial Park Cemetery is one of the oldest African-American cemeteries in Tampa.
In every direction at Memorial Park, there are reminders of those who lived, served and died in the city, from war veterans to the factory workers who made Tampa the “Cigar Capital of the World.”
What you need to know: The City of Tampa was recently outbid by a real estate investor for ownership of Memorial Park Cemetery.
Residents say they were not informed about the historic Black cemetery's change of ownership
The Hillsborough County NAACP president said it's unlikely the land will be rezoned for commercial use.
“We're cleaning up historic cemeteries,” said Eileen Henderson, who founded the cemetery association to preserve history and ensure these spirits aren't forgotten or erased.
“There are 13,000 graves on this land that don't have headstones,” she added.
Due to years of financial difficulties, the black cemetery was abandoned.
“It was originally owned by John Robinson,” Eileen says, “and when he passed away, he bequeathed it to his nephew and niece. They wanted nothing to do with the cemetery. The city of Tampa stepped in and gave it to them to look after, and the plan was always to donate it to a nonprofit.”
That was in 2020. Eileen said she was caught off guard this month when she learned the city had lost control of the cemetery, which now belongs to a real estate investor known for buying and reselling foreclosed properties.
“You tell the public you care about black cemeteries and black history, and then you sell this black historical cemetery?” Eileen said.
A spokesperson for the City of Tampa told Spectrum News, “The city was attempting to withhold mowing fees with the intention of taking ownership and continuing maintenance of the cemetery. However, 2715 West Sligh, LLC made a bid that outbid the city's withholding amount and now owns the cemetery. We have reached out to the new owners but at this time we do not know their future plans,” Adam Smith, Public Information Director for the City of Tampa, told Spectrum News.
The city outbid a real estate investor and purchased the cemetery for $18,000.
Spectrum News also reached out to the new owners but did not receive a response.
DOCS: City #Tampa The city says it had intended to keep Memorial Park Cemetery, a historically Black cemetery, but lost ownership in a blind-bid auction. “The city asked for a withholding for the cost of mowing,” a spokesperson said. But 2715 West Sligh, LLC submitted a higher bid. Translator pic.twitter.com/9hISPnHTyw
โ Fadia Maite Patterson, MS (@FadiaTVNews) February 5, 2023
Noreen Copeland Miller said 12 members of her family are buried at Memorial Park, including her grandfather, siblings and mother.
She said at Thursday's city council meeting that residents feel they haven't been informed.
“The community hasn't even had a chance to find out what's going on,” Miller said, “We read about it in the paper, we talked about community involvement. There are a lot of people in Tampa who care and want to make their community the best it can be.”
“Our history is important,” said Yvette Lewis, president of the NAACP Hillsborough County, “and we believe that a lot of people who helped shape the city of Tampa are laid to rest here.”
Lewis said some of his own relatives are among those buried there.
Lewis said he was surprised the land was purchased by a home flipper.
“There are a lot of laws in the state of Florida that protect cemeteries,” Lewis said. “The owner has to go through Tampa zoning, and I can't imagine Tampa zoning would be used to build a commercial or apartment building.”
But Eileen said the history of forgotten black cemeteries runs deep in Tampa Bay.
She said Oak Lawn, Zion and College Hill are just a few examples of cemeteries that have been built for commercial purposes or disappeared entirely.
“Find the money,” she said. “I'm tired of hearing there's no money. I've looked at all the capital improvement projects. I understand the billions of dollars being spent to make Tampa the city it is. You have to balance the old with the new. Where is that balance?”