City report: Graves likely under Trop site

The company surveying the Tropicana Field site for potential graves reported it has found three possible burial sites. 

Cardno, the company contracted by the City of St. Pete to do ground-penetrating radar work at the Trop, provided a draft report to city staff indicating details on the three possible graves. 

Also noted in the study area were other “areas of interest” which may contain more graves.  

The identified possible grave sites were located in Tropicana Field parking lots 1 and 2, at the southern boundary adjacent to 5th Avenue South and Interstate I-275. The possible graves were part of the Oaklawn Cemetery, which was founded as a cemetery serving white citizens.

The other areas of interest extend to cemeteries to the south, including the former Evergreen Cemetery, established as an African American cemetery, and the Moffett Cemetery, which served citizens of all races, according to the city’s report. 

It has been widely rumored that an unknown number of bodies were left behind due to the redevelopment phase in the 1960s, as many graves were unmarked or headstones were damaged.  

Many have suspected a strong possibility that graves may rest underneath the parking lot, where three cemeteries once stood in what was once the Gas Plant District. The district was a predominately African American community during the early 20^th century.

RELATED: Tropicana Field came at a cost to the Black community

The Gas Plant Neighborhood.

“While the number of potential graves discovered is small, it is not insignificant. Every person has value and no one should be forgotten. This process is of the utmost importance and we will continue to do right by these souls and all who loved them as we move forward,” St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman said in a prepared statement. He was briefed earlier this week on the findings. 

Cardno will provide a proposal and cost for the next steps, including creating a work plan to further investigate the findings. The city will engage in consultation with the community, according to the report. 

The land surveying for possible graves began earlier this summer. 

This is a developing story. Check back for more details.