Community leaders press Tampa City Council for $8 million to preserve Zion Cemetery

Community members and descendants urged the Tampa City Council on Aug. 7 to commit $8 million to acquire and memorialize the Zion Cemetery site in Tampa Heights, saying the land contains roughly 850 graves and remains at risk from past transfers and nearby development. Speakers called the request a necessary act of historical repair and reconciliation.

Supporters said the cemetery, long linked to the Robles Park neighborhood, contains remains of African Americans interred when burials were segregated. Fred Hearns, president of the Zion Cemetery Preservation and Maintenance Society, told the council the group has pushed the issue for six years and asked the city to act to assemble the needed property and create the memorial.

"It's time for us to do the right thing," Hearns said, describing the property history and the society's work to identify graves and secure a memorial marker on Florida Avenue. Other speakers — including descendants who said their relatives lie at Zion — described walking the site, finding remains and urging action now to prevent further disturbance.

The issue drew multiple speakers during public comment who described the site history, local research and the continuing emotional impact on families. Geraldine Williams identified herself as a direct descendant of a person buried at Zion and said she had located records that tie the cemetery’s origins to a Black landowner, Richard Dobie, who bought the land in 1894. Reba Imaan and Curtis Walker Wilson, a 96-year-old community elder, also urged the council to move quickly and called the site sacred.

Council members and staff responded that city administration has been working on the matter and that additional briefings will be provided. Chief of Staff John Bennett told the council he had followed the issue and that staff were supporting efforts to land a memorial and resolve property and design complexity; he said a formal update would be provided after a motion is finalized. "I can assure you that...the city will give a full-throated update as soon as the motion lands," Bennett said.

Councilman Mike Maniscalco asked that a written briefing be scheduled; Councilman Guido Carlson moved to give Chief Bennett a minute to address the crowd and propose a schedule for a written update. The council agreed to the short update, and Bennett said staff will provide more specifics as work continues.

Why it matters: Supporters framed the proposal as both a restoration of a historic burial ground and a local reconciliation effort tied to the city’s racial reconciliation work. They said a municipal role is essential because private acquisition alone has not secured the contiguous property needed for a comprehensive memorial.

What happened next: No appropriation was approved at the Aug. 7 meeting. Council agreed to request a formal written update from city administration on the status of property negotiations and memorial planning at a future meeting; staff said they will report back once a motion is formalized and scheduling is set.

Background: Speakers said the Zion Cemetery site served African American families tied to the Robles Park neighborhood and that neighborhood change and prior property transactions left part of the burial ground fragmented and at risk. The $8 million figure was presented by proponents as an estimate of the land assembly and program costs needed to secure and memorialize the site.

Looking ahead: Council members who spoke said they support moving the matter forward but asked staff to return with precise, documented steps, an acquisition plan and a proposed funding path so that council can consider any budgetary request in a future meeting.