A sign advertising two homes with \u201ceasy living,\u201d \u201cprime location,\u201d and \u201cmodern living\u201d has been placed on the parcel along West Saint John St. after the City of Tampa in November approved a request to split the parcel into three lots to \u201cfacilitate compatible development.\u201d Records from the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser previously listed the property type as \u201ccemetery.\u201d It is now listed as \u201cvacant residential.\u201d<\/p>\n
RELATED: Grave decision: Tampa approves request to divide land with possible unmarked graves from Marti-Colon Cemetery<\/a><\/p>\n While the parcel does not have headstones like the land immediately to the north, a ground-penetrating radar study obtained by 10 Investigates cites at least 16 anomalies that could be on the site.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe could very well have another Zion Cemetery<\/a> or College Hill<\/a> where they’re going to build or develop or use it as a parking lot for their own personal use because it is private property,\u201d said Aileen Henderson, founder of The Cemetery Society. \u201cThere’s a lot of frustration here because I don’t think I’ve ever had this much supporting documentation showing that the possibility of human remains exists.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Erin Kimmerle, forensic anthropologist with the University of South Florida, has spent years studying problems around Marti-Colon Cemetery. She told 10 Investigates in 2023 that there have long been concerns about missing and unmarked graves from the cemetery, including reports of graves under Columbus Drive and the strip mall to the north.\u00a0<\/p>\n “\u2026The question was did they move the burials, not whether or not they were ever there in the first place,\u201d Kimmerle said.<\/p>\n RELATED: Study raises questions about potential graves under businesses in Tampa cemetery<\/a><\/p>\n 10 Investigates asked Tampa Mayor Jane Castor about pending development on Thorpe\u2019s parcel and the city\u2019s role in approving permits for the process. \u201cCity Council handles all land use and zoning issues, but that particular area there is privately owned.\u201d<\/p>\n In response to a letter from State Rep. Fentrice Driskell on community anxiety around the development, the City of Tampa said that as a condition of permit approval, if human remains are found, all work must stop and city officials must be notified.\u00a0<\/p>\n Under Florida law, all human remains are protected. Chapter 872.05 of Florida statutes state that when unmarked human burials are discovered outside of an archaeological excavation, all activity must stop and the medical examiner must be notified. The statute also says, \u201cany person who willfully and knowingly disturbs, destroys, removes, vandalizes, or damages an unmarked human burial is guilty of a felony of the third degree…\u201d<\/p>\n Thorpe declined to comment on the story when speaking to 10 Investigates by phone on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Emerald Morrow is an investigative reporter with\u00a010 Tampa Bay News. Like her on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>. You can also email her at\u00a0emorrow@10tampabay.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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