JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Overgrown and forgotten, the Spires Brown Roberts Cemetery lies hidden in thick brush off West 33rd and Spires streets in Jacksonville.
Neighbors say the neglected site, which dates back decades, desperately needs cleanup.
Tanya Griffin expressed sadness over the state of the cemetery.
“I want them to clean it up,” she said.
Griffin remembers playing in the area as a child.
“We were still curious about the stories,” Griffin recalled. “You could actually see a couple of headstones as a kid.”
Now, the cemetery is so overgrown that no gravestones are visible. Recent photos show it has been cut and mowed at times, but the fence remains worn down.
Monday, News4JAX found an orange code enforcement notice that had been left on a rundown piece of fence.
We reached out to the city, which sent us records showing they have received complaints about the property since 1997 and have issued more than $76,000 in fines for code violations.
Griffin’s aunt lives next door and says she has had to take measures to keep snakes out of her yard. Other neighbors have reported mice problems.
The most recent complaint was filed on Monday, and city code enforcement says it is working quickly to contract workers to clean the property.
According to the city’s property appraiser, the land is owned by a construction company.
We are working to find information to contact the property owner to ask questions about the maintenance of the property.
“It just seems like a forgotten place,” Griffin said.