ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — At first glance, the shaded rows of gravesites at Royal Palm Cemetery South in St. Petersburg seem like any other cemetery.
Upon further inspection, you can see why people are upset: gravesites are neglected, vases are knocked over and headstones are cracked.
Robin Bullerdick has been complaining about her parents' cracked granite headstone for a decade. Finally, she said the cemetery promised to replace it, and for the past week left the plot with no headstone, just dirt.
“I see more broken promises,” she said looking at the still-broken headstone.
The long-awaited fix, she said, was the same old cracked granite glued together. The placard with the date her mother passed away was missing.
“This place really doesn't care,” Bullerdick said. “It's sad.”
Bullerdick isn't alone. The state Department of Financial Services, which oversees cemeteries, said it has six open complaints against the cemetery.
“I’ve talked to so many people's families out here that say, ‘What's going on? Why isn't this place being taken care of?'" Bullerdick said.
It could be that the cemetery's owner filed for bankruptcy last year. It's now being managed by a court-appointed trustee.
“I'm going to help everybody that's buried here and their families,” Bullerdick explained.
She said she won't rest until she knows her parents and everyone else buried there can do so in peace.
10News reached out to the cemetery's owner and his attorney, but haven't heard back. He owns two other cemeteries in Tampa Bay, and state records show a history of violations at those cemeteries, too.
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