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Why Tampa's plan to purchase historic Black cemetery backfired, and what's next to save it

Now the cemetery belongs to an investor who outbid the city in a foreclosure auction. The city says it made an offer to the new owner. It’s unclear if he'll accept.

Emerald Morrow

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Published: 7:13 PM EDT March 22, 2023
Updated: 12:07 AM EDT March 23, 2023

Just one year after the city of Tampa announced it had taken over maintenance for Memorial Park Cemetery after its owner died, the century-old site was auctioned to an investor in a sale that lasted less than four minutes.

Now, the scramble to purchase the cemetery from a man who’s not yet willing to let go could cost the city tens of thousands of dollars. But perhaps the highest cost of it all: community trust. 

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