Florida cemetery vandalized, Trump and DeSantis names sprayed on graves

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office opened the case on May 12, 2026, under case number 2026-009823 at 202 25th St. W. in Palmetto, a few dozen miles south of Tampa. Investigators said there was no indication that any remains were removed from the gravesites. No arrests had been announced, and detectives believe at least some of the damage happened during or before March 2026.

The cemetery’s history gives the crime its weight. Old Memphis Cemetery was established in 1904 for Black residents of the Memphis neighborhood. Historical marker information says the earliest marked grave dates to 1907, and the earliest known official deed tied to the cemetery is dated January 12, 1923. Historical sources say the cemetery was full by 1977 and placed under county care in 1988. It is the resting place of many Black Americans who worked in Manatee County’s farms, groves and packing houses.

For families with relatives buried there, the damage cut deeper than property loss. Glenn Searls, 77, said he felt “extreme anger” when he saw the cemetery and said the writing made him wonder whether the act was politically motivated. Edrena Love Freeman called the damage “evil” and said she found her father’s gravestone moved when she checked on it. The choice of names on Black graves gave the vandalism a charged political meaning that reached well beyond Palmetto.