Gulfport Mayor Karen Love believes St. Petersburg officials recently pressured the pastor who oversees Lincoln Cemetery into supporting its annexation.
City Manager James O’Reilly said Gulfport is “becoming political fodder for things that are taking place” in St. Petersburg. The latter city sent the remains of Black pioneers to Lincoln Cemetery during segregation.
O’Reilly said Gulfport, at the behest of previous property owners, annexed the nearly century-old burial grounds in 1967. A resident, who said the city has a “moral imperative to act with dignity and urgency,” was the first to broach the topic at a city council meeting Tuesday evening.
Love subsequently pushed back against claims that “we’re somehow blocking de-annexation; that we refuse to go to nonexistent meetings.” She expressed a “real problem with that.”
“I feel like almost daily, nightly, I’m watching these political theatrics, which I don’t understand,” Love said. “And it’s not fair to the descendants, who would really like to get something moving.”
The latest chapter in Lincoln Cemetery’s saga stems from a Dec. 4 committee meeting. St. Petersburg officials invited Rev. Clarence Williams, who leads Cross and Anvil Human Services, to discuss long-proposed plans to reclaim the property.
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Cross and Anvil took control of Lincoln Cemetery in 2023. Williams, a pastor at Greater Mount Zion AME Church, can no longer afford to continue maintaining and rebuilding the storm-damaged burial grounds, which opened in 1926 at 600 58th St. S.
In an Oct. 7 memo to the council, Mayor Ken Welch noted that he supports annexing the cemetery and has discussed the issue with his current and former colleagues in Gulfport. He pledged that St. Petersburg would work with Cross and Anvil and other stakeholders to “maintain the facility with the dignity it deserves.”
“Not one person from the council picked up the phone and has called me or reached out in any form or fashion,” Love said Tuesday. “Nobody from St. Petersburg has asked me to attend a meeting. Pastor Williams has not called me.”
Gulfport must initiate the de-annexation process. Cross and Anvil could also petition the city.
When asked Dec. 4 if he would support annexation, Williams paused and said he felt “wounded.” He explained that his immediate concern is finding the money to survey and restore burial plots, construct a security fence, remove hazardous trees and complete routine maintenance.
St. Petersburg cannot fund projects outside of the city, and Williams eventually offered his support for starting a lengthy annexation process. Love said Tuesday that Williams previously pledged to ask for help when needed, and she awaits the call.
Love considers it “silly” to discuss annexing Lincoln Cemetery with St. Petersburg officials before consulting with Williams. While she “heard what he said” at the committee meeting, “he was under no pressure when he was talking to me.”
“I felt like he was on trial watching it,” Love said of Williams. “It’s their (St. Petersburg) own in-house fighting that is preventing anything from moving forward.”
She subsequently noted that Welch reached out in June to gauge her support for annexing the cemetery. Love requested related documents, which Welch provided a few weeks later.
According to Love, the annexation documents stated, “No give-backs allowed.” She added that “now they want us to.” She believes it is “not in our best interest to hold that property back from these people.”
Gulfport will determine associated costs and “who’s going to pay it” once Williams petitions the city, Love said. “I do think that morally, it’s the right thing to do for the descendants, and it’s unfortunate … how it all ended up with us.”
O’Reilly said the cemetery’s plight is “obviously a political issue” in St. Petersburg. He believes some officials “want no part of this topic because it’s not politically beneficial.”
St. Petersburg council members unanimously approved a resolution Dec. 11 that advocates for Lincoln Cemetery’s annexation. “We’re getting pulled into something that I think is a lot different than what we’re truly trying to do here,” O’Reilly said Tuesday.
Gulfport Councilmember April Thanos disagreed with Love’s assertion that Williams was pressured into offering his support for annexation. “Mainly because they can’t afford to pay for the upkeep,” she explained, and St. Petersburg is “willing to pay.”
Multiple council members implored the administration to initiate the annexation process. O’Reilly said he and the city attorney would first “attempt” to schedule a meeting with Williams.
“Gulfport is getting a bad shake out of this,” Love concluded. “I don’t want to play that up, because it’s not nearly what the descendants have gone through over many, many years.”
