ST. PETERSBURG — A handful of family photos, fading memories and visits to the Royal Palm North Cemetery in St. Petersburg—Bill Walker said it’s all he has left of his mom and dad, Frances and Curtis Walker.
“I miss my parents," Walker said. "They were good people.”
The Walkers were laid to rest side-by-side in the cemetery’s mausoleum. Bill Walker told ABC Action News he visits "just about every month."
Visiting his family's resting place grows more painful each time. Portions of the ceiling have fallen in, the windows are filthy, the floor is blackened by mold or dirt and there are signs of rotted wood around the structure.
Video shot by the I-Team mirrors pictures of the building taken by state regulators during a 2020 inspection.
In 2013, the I-Team first uncovered chronic neglect at the Royal Palm North and South cemeteries. Our stories also documented missing and misplaced grave markers. Family members of those buried at Royal Palm South reported not being able to find their loved one’s grave sites.
The ABC Action News investigation prompted the state to order Cliff Work, director of the companies that owned the cemeteries, to correct the violations within six months and pay a $2,500 fine.
Keenan Knopke served on the board of the Division of Funeral, Cemeteries, and Consumer Services for 16 years.
Knopke, who left the board earlier this year, said the Royal Palm Cemeteries were issued more violations for neglect and maintenance issues than any other he can recall. He said neither cemetery was ever brought up to code. Now loved ones want to know why.
The I-Team obtained state inspection records from 2018 to 2020 on Royal Palm North, where Walker’s family is buried. They reveal repeated violations over the lack of maintenance to the mausoleum and cemetery grounds.
But change may be coming. State records show that in 2018, the owner of both cemeteries filed for bankruptcy. Another company in the cemetery business bought the properties in 2021. State regulators approved the purchase.
The I-Team called the new owner and stopped by the cemetery office to ask about the maintenance issues. We were told no comment.
ABC Action News emailed the owner's lawyer. Attorney Wendy Wiener responded in an email stating: “The owner has just finalized its dealings with the Trustee for the Bankruptcy Estate from which the cemetery was purchased. The repairs could have been done during the bankruptcy but were not. Repairs are scheduled to occur after the new year.”
Walker told ABC Action News he’ll believe it when he sees it.
The I-Team repeatedly asked state regulators for an interview about future oversight of these two cemeteries.
In an email, the state said they were unable to provide someone to go on camera. But they did say both will be inspected this month.
