JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A cemetery where veterans are buried has been seriously neglected. One vet is now demanding the city and the property owner do something about it.
The cemetery on Old St. Augustine Road is so overgrown with weeds you have to be careful where you step because you might accidentally step on someone's grave.
"Some of these sunken-in areas, these are graves," said Vietnam veteran Eldridge Franklin.
With sunken ground, weeds and garbage, the area resembles a landfill.
"You've got overrun trees, sunken graves, you have headstones that are just broken up," Franklin said.
But it's actually the final resting place to hundreds of Jacksonville's loved ones including several United States war heroes.
Franklin showed Action News around the cemetery he pointed out several graves overcome by weeds that were home to World War I, World War II and Vietnam veterans.
The property belongs to the Mt. Zion Church in Jacksonville. We knocked on the parish door, called and left messages for Pastor Pearce Ewing, but we haven't heard back yet.
Franklin also made several complaints with the city. Still, neither party seems to be making the cleanup of this cemetery a priority
"Somebody needs to get in here and clean this mess up," said Franklin
With Veterans Day coming Tuesday, Franklin is hoping the city and the church can come together to clean this mess so that the veterans buried here can be honored properly.
WJAX
