Aileen Henderson, founder of The Cemetery Society, sitting on the porch of a historic white wooden building. The person has long grey hair and wears large wire-frame glasses and a black and white patterned sleeveless top. In the background, a table with a white lace tablecloth holds tea and flowers, and a heavy metal chain hangs from a white railing. — Aileen Henderson from the Cemetery Society Credit: WMNF News

Construction is underway in the last privately-owned acre next to the historic Martí/Colón Cemetery.

Architect Patrick Thorpe owns the area. In 2023, he sold most of his share of the Marti/Colon Cemetery to the City of Tampa –except for one acre “adjacent to it.”

The acre does not have any marked graves. But, advocates like Aileen Henderson from the Cemetery Society believe there are human remains underneath.

“These are our people, these are our families that are buried there, and you’re just dismissing us,” Henderson said. “These are black and brown bodies we’re talking about, what are we doing in Tampa?”

This story first appeared at WMNF News, which is part of the Tampa Bay Journalism Project (TBJP), a nascent Creative Loafing Tampa Bay effort supported by grants and a coalition of donors who make specific contributions via the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation. If you are a non-paywalled Bay area publication or donor interested in Tampa Bay Journalism Project, please email rroa@ctampa.com. Support WMNF News by visiting the community radio station’s support page.

Thorpe tried to sell that acre in 2024 to a Jewish organization, the deal fell through after a ground penetrating radar (GPR) was performed.

The radar suggested there might be more than a dozen graves there. The results of the radar only became public last month.

The anomalies do not guarantee the presence of human remains

Last month, the city approved a request from Thorpe to divide the acre into four parcels to “facilitate compatible development.” He then set up fencing and stakes showing the property’s boundary with the cemetery is up.

After the approval, Henderson emailed Florida’s Historic Cemeteries Program looking to speak with state officials. She got an emailed response from Program Supervisor, Patrisha Meyers-Gidusko, saying the anomalies found by the GPR did not guarantee there were human remains.

She said the GPR radar performed was from a commercial standpoint. So, the city needed to do further surveying in the acre.

“If you look at that GPR report and you look at that fence he built over some of those spots with the fence, so you’re disturbing human remains or possible human remains,” said Henderson.

Henderson emailed Tampa City Council members and State Representative Fentrice Driskell asking for further investigation into the anomalies. She says the city hasn’t responded.

Representative Driskell’s responded saying they sent a letter to city council “requesting that the city stop any further disturbance to the site until a conclusion is reached.”

Her office sent the letter on Friday March. 13.

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This article appears in Mar. 12 – 18, 2026.