TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — In 1901, records show Tampa’s earliest documented African American cemetery was established in an area near Florida Avenue, north of downtown Tampa.
The land was eventually taken from it’s original owner and over the years the cemetery was paved over, commercial buildings and even the Robles Park Public Housing Development were built on top of graves that were never moved.
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As many as 800 people were once buried in the cemetery, according to records. A recent study found more than 100 caskets and remains are still on the property.
Thursday, Tampa’s City Council voted to approve a land swap with Tampa Restaurant owner Richard Gonzmart to help establish a memorial for the cemetery. Gonzmart purchased property there, before the location of the cemetery was known, and he had no idea there are still bodies buried there…