Part of Tampa cemetery listed for sale on Craigslist

TAMPA (FOX 13) - To Anthony Tamargo, the Marti-Colon Cemetery is sacred ground, and his reasons go beyond the obvious.

"My brother, my father, my cousin [are all buried here]," he explained, walking between the headstones.

Tamargo still lives in the home where he grew up, right across the street from his relatives' final resting place. 

"Right over there, the red door," he pointed. "My dad fought to keep this graveyard clean years ago."

The cemetery is unique in that it has multiple owners, including the city. Another owner, Clifford Laubstein, bought two acres of the property last year as part of a tax lien and wanted to build a house on a part of the cemetery where there are no gravestones. 

Several weeks ago, the city denied his proposal. After that, Laubstein listed his two acres on Craigslist for $9,000.

An overlay shown on the website shows that gravestones are on parts of the land that are seemingly for sale. 

The city of Tampa owns a different chunk of the 5.6-acre property but has been caring for the entire thing. Now the city is trying to figure out the best way to take full control of the property.

"The people that are buried here are the ones who are cigar rollers -- everyday workers that are buried here to rest," said Tamargo. "They built this city."

The MacFarlane Park Neighborhood Association is hoping the city will acquire all the parcels that make up the cemetery.

Right now, the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser says there are five different owners.