{"id":196701,"date":"2026-03-18T18:28:31","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T18:28:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/196701\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T18:28:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T18:28:31","slug":"construction-is-underway-on-west-tampa-land-that-might-be-home-to-more-than-a-dozen-graves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/196701\/","title":{"rendered":"Construction is underway on West Tampa land that might be home to more than a dozen graves"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Aileen Aileen Henderson from\u00a0the Cemetery Society\u00a0 Credit: WMNF News<\/a><\/p>\n

Construction is underway in the last privately-owned acre next to the historic Mart\u00ed\/Col\u00f3n Cemetery.<\/p>\n

Architect Patrick Thorpe owns the area. In 2023, he sold most of his share of the Marti\/Colon Cemetery to the City of Tampa \u2013except for one acre \u201cadjacent to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The acre does not have any marked graves. But, advocates like Aileen Henderson from\u00a0the Cemetery Society<\/a>\u00a0believe there are human remains underneath.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are our people, these are our families that are buried there, and you\u2019re just dismissing us,\u201d Henderson said. \u201cThese are black and brown bodies we\u2019re talking about, what are we doing in Tampa?\u201d<\/p>\n

This story first appeared at WMNF News<\/a>, which is part of the Tampa Bay Journalism Project (TBJP), a nascent Creative Loafing Tampa Bay effort supported by grants and a coalition of donors who make specific contributions via the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation<\/a>. If you are a non-paywalled Bay area publication or donor interested in Tampa Bay Journalism Project<\/a>, please email rroa@ctampa.com<\/a>. Support WMNF News by visiting the community radio station\u2019s support page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Thorpe tried to sell that acre in 2024 to a Jewish organization, the deal fell through after a ground penetrating radar (GPR) was performed.<\/p>\n

The radar suggested there might be more than a dozen graves there. The results of the radar only became public last month.<\/p>\n

The anomalies do not guarantee the presence of human remains<\/p>\n

Last month, the city approved a request from Thorpe to divide the acre into four parcels to \u201cfacilitate compatible development.\u201d He then set up fencing and stakes showing the property\u2019s boundary with the cemetery is up.<\/p>\n

After the approval, Henderson emailed\u00a0Florida\u2019s Historic Cemeteries Program<\/a>\u00a0looking to speak with state officials. She got an emailed response from Program Supervisor, Patrisha Meyers-Gidusko, saying the anomalies found by the GPR did not guarantee there were human remains.<\/p>\n

She said the GPR radar performed was from a commercial standpoint. So, the city needed to do further surveying in the acre.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look at that GPR report and you look at that fence he built over some of those spots with the fence, so you\u2019re disturbing human remains or possible human remains,\u201d said Henderson.<\/p>\n

Henderson emailed Tampa City Council members and State Representative Fentrice Driskell asking for further investigation into the anomalies. She says the city hasn\u2019t responded.<\/p>\n

Representative Driskell\u2019s responded saying they sent a letter to city council \u201crequesting that the city stop any further disturbance to the site until a conclusion is reached.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her office sent the\u00a0letter<\/a>\u00a0on Friday March. 13.<\/p>\n

Pitch in to help make the Tampa Bay Journalism Project a success.<\/a><\/p>\n

Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow us:\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0BlueSky<\/a><\/p>\n

This article appears in Mar. 12 \u2013 18, 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

\t