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Dahlia Rodriguez says inconsistent cemetery hours left her locked inside; executive director orders temporary 6 p.m. closure
Summary
A Hallandale Beach resident told the CRA board she was locked inside the city cemetery amid conflicting posted and verbal visiting hours; Executive Director Dr. Earl said staff are rewriting policies and instructed the police chief to close the cemetery at 6:00 p.m. until signs and rules are updated.
Dahlia Rodriguez told the Hallandale Beach Community Redevelopment Agency on March 18 that conflicting posted and verbal visiting hours at the city cemetery left her locked inside on Feb. 11 and that staff and officials have given residents inconsistent guidance about permitted hours. “I was locked into the cemetery on February 11,” Rodriguez said, and she urged the board to place cemetery visiting hours and cemetery oversight on a future agenda.
Rodriguez said posted signs show “sunrise to sunset” while she had been told different times by various staff; she told the board she raised a public records request that, she said, supported her account. She also cited “Statute 704.08” as the legal authority for cemetery visitation and inspection rights and asked for clearer, consistent rules.
Executive Director Dr. Earl responded that the city is revising written policies and procedures for the cemetery and that, until formal signage and policies are finalized, he has instructed staff and the police chief to close the cemetery at 6:00 p.m. “Until that is done, I instructed my staff to close the cemetery at 06:00,” Dr. Earl said, adding he might change that temporary time to 5:30 p.m. as signage and procedures are finalized. He said staff are working on updated signs and that police will enforce the interim closing time.
Chair Cooper thanked Dr. Earl for the update and noted the board has discussed the cemetery at recent meetings. The chair said set closing times should help families and staff, and the board did not take formal legislative action beyond accepting the executive director’s directive and promising further policy work.
Next steps: the executive director said written policies and signage were under development; the board directed staff to return with formal policy language and implementation details at a future meeting. The public comment and the executive director’s interim directive were the principal outcomes of the cemetery discussion at the March 18 meeting.
