A human resources company in Florida is suing a local redevelopment agency after discovering more than 300 graves beneath its office complex. FrankCrum, based in Clearwater, alleges it was unaware of the burial ground when it purchased the property in 2004.
The site was formerly St Matthews Baptist Church Cemetery in a 20th-century Black neighbourhood. Before FrankCrum bought the land, it belonged to Information Management Resources, which had a written agreement with the Clearwater Community Redevelopment Agency stating the property did not include human remains from any cemetery, according to the lawsuit filed in 2023.
Clearwater spokesperson Joelle Castelli said taxpayers were now litigating events from more than 25 years ago, adding that the passage of time made it difficult to track down witnesses and documents. Most lawsuits must be filed within a few years of the events, she noted.
FrankCrum wants the agency to pay for the removal of the graves, a process that could cost millions of dollars. Descendants of those buried at the site have expressed a desire for the bodies to be relocated to another former Black cemetery in Clearwater's North Greenwood neighbourhood.
The case is proceeding after an appeals court upheld a ruling denying the agency's motion for summary judgment last month. A trial date has yet to be set.
