Simmering tensions boiled over at a St. Petersburg City Council meeting Thursday morning as members admonished a colleague for what they perceived as a public lie.
Gulfport’s Lincoln Cemetery, the primary burial ground for St. Petersburg’s Black population during segregation, was at the center of the dispute. Councilmember Corey Givens Jr. requested a committee discussion last week regarding the embattled graveyard’s future that ideally would have included officials from the neighboring city.
The new business item failed, as Councilmember Gina Driscoll previously requested a committee meeting on the subject. Councilmember Deborah Figgs-Sanders noted that she and Mayor Ken Welch have also discussed plans for the cemetery, including annexation, with Gulfport stakeholders…