![\"picture](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/04Lincoln-Cemetery_Sierra-Clark_10302025.jpeg\")
On Dec. 4, St. Petersburg\u2019s HLUT Committee agreed to pursue a plan to annex Historic Lincoln Cemetery, currently located in Gulfport. Photo by Sierra Clark<\/p>\n
\t\tOn Dec. 4, St. Petersburg\u2019s HLUT Committee agreed to pursue a plan to annex Historic Lincoln Cemetery, currently located in Gulfport.
Photo by Sierra Clark<\/p>\n
During its Dec. 4 meeting, St. Petersburg\u2019s Housing, Land Use and Transportation (HLUT) Committee agreed to pursue a long-term plan to annex Lincoln Cemetery, a historic Black burial ground currently located inside Gulfport city limits.<\/p>\n
The HLUT committee unanimously approved a resolution urging Gulfport to begin the de-annexation process. The full City Council will vote on that resolution next.<\/p>\n
While symbolic, the action signals a shift toward long-term responsibility for the 16-acre site.<\/p>\n
Historic Lincoln Cemetery\u2019s Conditions<\/p>\n
Pastor Clarence Williams, who manages Lincoln Cemetery through Cross & Anvil Human Services, detailed severe storm damage and ongoing safety concerns.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt costs $5,000 a month to mow the grass,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have carried this project on with my own private money and my church\u2019s money.\u201d<\/p>\n
He urged the City of St. Pete to become a consistent partner rather than offering short-term help.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want you to inherit me as your son,\u201d he told the committee. \u201cI want to be part of your budget considerations.\u201d<\/p>\n
At Gulfport\u2019s Nov. 18 City Council meeting, Mayor Karen Love described a conversation she had with Williams.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn his messaging to me, he was very clear. He speaks as clearly as I do, and he said, \u2018I have not asked you for anything\u2019,\u201d Love said. \u201cAnd I said, \u2018and I\u2019ll hear from you if you want to.\u2019 [And] he said, \u2018yes.\u2019 So to me, the ball is in his court.\u201d<\/p>\n
When\u00a0The Gabber Newspaper\u00a0asked Williams about this conversation, he said, \u201cI don\u2019t remember having that conversation. I do remember talking to her on the phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
He continued to say, \u201cI do remember\u2026 County Commissioner Rene Flowers organizing a meeting between the City of Gulfport, the City of St. Petersburg, and the County, and no one from Gulfport was present. I do remember that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The meeting he referred to took place on Oct. 30.<\/p>\n
Push for Immediate Action<\/p>\n
Williams confirmed he already requested specific assistance.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe did ask for help with the grant writer. We did ask for surveying,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s a $25,000 need right there. If I don\u2019t get it done now, the graves will be covered again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Council member Deborah Figgs-Sanders pressed staff to identify near-term solutions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m looking for something more tangible right now,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been having this conversation for years. What support can we provide today?\u201d<\/p>\n
Council member Corey Givens spoke as both an elected official and descendant. He questioned why the City could fund programs outside its limits but not support Cross & Anvil, which is based in St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t find the money to help an organization located in St. Pete, but we can fund people to travel out of the city for training? That doesn\u2019t make sense,\u201d Givens said. \u201cOur ancestors are counting on us. We have to stand up for them because they cannot do it for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"men](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/01Lincoln_Cemetery_HLUT_St-Pete_Trei-Johnson-e1764956583470.jpg\")
St. Petersburg Housing, Land Use, and Transportation Committee discussed ways to help repair and maintain Lincoln Cemetery.
Photo by Trei Johnson<\/p>\n
Why the City Cannot Fund Repairs Today<\/p>\n
Despite visible need, officials stressed that state law prevents St. Petersburg from spending money on property located in another city.<\/p>\n
Under Florida Statute Chapter 166, municipalities must:<\/p>\n
Use tax dollars within their jurisdiction<\/p>\n
Avoid improving or maintaining private property outside their boundaries<\/p>\n
Demonstrate municipal control when applying for grants or capital funding<\/p>\n
Lincoln Cemetery lies south of the Pinellas Trail inside Gulfport, a fact confirmed by historic plat maps and current municipal boundaries.<\/p>\n
Assistant City Attorney Isabella Sobel explained \u201cthose boundaries matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot apply our funds to land we do not govern,\u201d Sobel said.<\/p>\n
Figgs-Sanders urged staff to think more creatively while remaining within the law.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just don\u2019t want us to continue to use that boundary as an excuse,\u201d she said. \u201cWe support organizations here that work outside the city all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Annexation: The Only Long-Term Solution<\/p>\n
Annexation allows a City to expand its boundaries. De-annexation removes land from a City\u2019s limits.<\/p>\n
Since Lincoln Cemetery sits inside Gulfport, St. Petersburg cannot help until the boundaries change.<\/p>\n
City staff outlined the required multi-stage process:<\/p>\n
Gulfport must vote to de-annex the land.<\/p>\n
Cross & Anvil must give written consent as the property owner.<\/p>\n
The land becomes temporarily unincorporated Pinellas County.<\/p>\n
St. Petersburg must vote to annex the property.<\/p>\n
Once annexed, Lincoln Cemetery would qualify for:<\/p>\n
Full municipal maintenance<\/p>\n
Capital improvements, such as fencing and road work<\/p>\n
Storm cleanup<\/p>\n
Tree management<\/p>\n
Historic preservation grants<\/p>\n
Staff estimated the full process may take 12 to 18 months, though political delays could extend it.<\/p>\n
Immediate Needs Still Unmet<\/p>\n
Williams warned that the cemetery cannot wait a year or more for help.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to have to close the cemetery to repair the hazards,\u201d he told the committee.<\/p>\n
He reminded officials that Lincoln Cemetery will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year and asked them to move with urgency.<\/p>\n
The Gabber Newspaper? We Go There<\/p>\n
In 1968, our founder, George Brann, started The Gabber Newspaper, then called the Gulfport Gabber, to hold Gulfport City Council<\/a> accountable. Read more of our city council coverage<\/a>, and learn about our policies on reporting, fact-checking, and funding<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On Dec. 4, St. Petersburg\u2019s HLUT Committee agreed to pursue a plan to annex Historic Lincoln Cemetery, currently…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45200,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[6110,2271,29752,202,204,203,199,1640,201,200],"class_list":["post-77636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-gulfport","tag-gulfport-florida","tag-lincoln-cemetery-in-gulfport-florida","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-city-council","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77636"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77636\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}