TAMPA, Fla. — Families living on top of an abandoned cemetery in Tampa will be relocated to new homes by early next year.

• Apartment complex built over park of Zion Cemetery
• Unclear why construction continued after bodies discovered in 1950s
• PREVIOUS STORIES:
  • Legislation Introduced to Allocate Funding for Zion Cemetery Research
  • Images of Forgotten Black Burial Ground Revealed
  • Tampa Housing Authority to Relocate Residents of Buildings Built on Historic Cemetery

Tampa Housing Authority says the relocation effort is currently underway and one family has already moved out of the Robles Park Village apartment complex.

A recent investigation revealed the complex was built over part of Zion Cemetery, a black burial ground that dates back to 1901.

THA built Robles Park Village over the cemetery in the 1950s, even though bodies were discovered at the site. It's unclear why construction continued.

“I think we can spend a lot of time and a lot of months trying to figure out how it happened and who's responsible, or we can use these same months to free this site up of the improvements that never should have been made,” said Leroy Moore, Chief Operating Officer for Tampa Housing Authority.

THA plans to make tear down the structures and build a memorial with historical markers over Zion cemetery. ​