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Clay County board seeks volunteers and a caretaker plan to make cemetery sites eligible for state grants
Summary
Board members discussed documenting unlisted cemeteries, signage for Pleasant Point cemetery, and state grant requirements that appear to require a permanent caretaker or association to receive maintenance funding.
Board members discussed efforts to document small family and historic cemeteries and the possibility of applying for state grants for site maintenance, with an immediate focus on Pleasant Point cemetery.
A board member said volunteers have offered to help confirm locations not listed on the Florida Master Site File. "I did reach out to Melanie Tharpe ... they have submitted their paperwork for Peoria," the speaker said, reporting volunteers will help fill out paperwork and do site visits to get more cemeteries recorded. The board agreed volunteers and staff will begin more frequent site visits to complete submissions.
Pleasant Point drew specific attention because it sits in a curve and is hard to see from the road. Board members suggested adding county wayfinding signs on the road approaches plus a short informational panel at the cemetery entrance so visitors can find and learn about the site. "If it wasn't for the stone arch, you wouldn't know anything was there," a board member said about the difficulty of finding Pleasant Point from the highway.
Board members also discussed state grant eligibility. Staff said the state appears to require documentation of a permanent caretaker or an organization that will manage long-term maintenance before awarding a grant. "It appears that there needs to be a permanent caretaker, a permanent plan who would be taking that on," Beth said. The board discussed whether a nonprofit or formed association could serve as the documented caretaker; staff said the county would need to check state language to confirm whether a 501(c)(3) is required or whether a documented caretaker association is sufficient.
Board members said they have begun outreach: the Clay County Historical Society was asked informally whether it would consider a caretaker role, but members expected no decision in 30 days. The board identified next steps: research state grant caretaker requirements, compile a scope and cost estimate for cemetery maintenance work that a grant would fund, identify potential caretaker organizations or formed associations, and continue volunteer site visits to gather documentation for the Master Site File.
No formal decisions or grant applications were recorded during the meeting. Board members agreed to continue outreach and to return with findings on caretaker options and an estimated scope of work and cost for potential grant applications.
