Local leaders secure $300,000 for embattled Lincoln Cemetery
- Mark Parker
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
During segregation, St. Petersburg relocated the remains of Black pioneers to neighboring Gulfport. Lincoln Cemetery has since deteriorated due to decades of deferred maintenance and severe storms.
However, the century-old cemetery will soon see some much-needed upgrades thanks to Pinellas County Commissioner Renee Flowers and State Sen. Darryl Rouson. Florida’s $114.5 billion budget - approved Friday and now awaiting the governor’s veto pen - includes $300,000 for the historic burial grounds.
The much-needed infusion of state funding will support dedicated staffing, flood mitigation efforts, signage, technological mapping, headstones for unmarked graves, and security fencing. Flowers, who requested the appropriation, noted that “a lot of things need to happen just to bring some dignity and respect back to that cemetery.”
“I wanted to make sure that we did right by the cemetery,” Flowers said. “I think this will mean a lot to the community, especially for the times we’re living in with all of the things that are being said and done when it comes to people of color.”
Lincoln Cemetery opened in 1926 at 600 58th St. S. and is now outside of St. Petersburg’s city limits. The interred include Civil War Veterans and other local historical figures.
Rev. Clarence Williams and St. Petersburg-based Cross and Anvil Human Services took control of the predominantly Black cemetery in 2023 after resolving an ownership dispute with a Gulfport resident. Williams is a pastor at Greater Mount Zion AME Church, where Flowers is a member.
Flowers noted that the community “never stopped fighting” to retain control of the cemetery. She also credited efforts to maintain the flood-prone property and ensure it is a place where families could visit and learn about African American history.
“It means a lot to some of our more senior persons in the community who … remember what it was like,” Flowers added. “This is something they get to see in their lifetimes.”
St. Petersburg relocated Black residents buried at Moffett Cemetery, established in 1888 at the intersection of 16th Street and 5th Avenue South, when officials condemned and built over the site in the late 1920s. The area is now home to a parking lot at Tropicana Field.
The Black Cemetery Network, citing records from the Pinellas Genealogy Society, states that 236 St. Petersburg residents were reinterred in Gulfport. In December 2025, Williams told the city council that Lincoln Cemetery is home to thousands of unmarked graves.
Lincoln Cemetery currently lacks fencing. Flowers said anyone can “come in and out of it,” which has led to issues. A full-time maintenance worker will complete regular landscaping work and ensure headstones remain visible.
The state funding will also pay for ground-penetrating radar to identify graves. “Due to flooding issues there, the ground has moved, which has caused some of the vaults to shift,” Flowers said.
“There are several graves out there without markers - no headstones,” she continued. “Maybe the family couldn’t afford it, but that’s also in the budget.”
Crews will pave an overgrown access road, and Flowers said the maintenance worker will also lead historical tours. The funding will also allow Cross and Anvil to fill an administrative role.
Flowers said the overarching goal is to ensure final resting places are respected, and that Lincoln Cemetery is “welcoming and inviting for those who want to visit their loved ones.”
“It’s been a financial struggle,” she said. “It really has, but we’ve been able to manage it and keep it going. We really appreciate the people who have gone out there when we’ve had cleanup days.”
Flowers hopes to organize a competition at Gibbs High School to design a new welcome sign. “I think that will be a nice way to have the youth involved in a historical place that is significant to the community,” she said.
“I think this is going to be a phenomenal shot in the arm when it comes to the history of our community.”
Officials in St. Petersburg and Gulfport continue to discuss Lincoln Cemetery’s de-annexation. Flowers said the former city has the budget needed for ongoing flood mitigation and maintenance efforts, and while there are indications of a “favorable partnership,” Cross and Anvil’s board must first request the change.
An extensive process would follow, and state-funded surveying work will help clarify if the entire cemetery sits within Gulfport’s boundaries. Flowers said the appropriation “speaks volumes” about Rouson’s support, and also credited other local and state lawmakers for including the funding in the upcoming budget, “because it’s really important to the community.”
“With Senator Rouson being term-limited, this is a big thing for him to be able to say that he got that done,” Flowers said. “So, I think it’s phenomenal. He’s been a wonderful partner, and I just really appreciate the work that he’s done on our behalf.”
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