Families told to remove decorations from graves of loved ones in Seminole County cemetery

Families must remove decorations from graves

Families whose loved ones are buried in a Seminole County cemetery are fighting back after they were told they need to remove all decorations from their graves. One of the graves is Nick Miner's, the East River High School football player killed in a crash last year. His parents say they've been working on his grave site for seven months.

CHULUOTA, Fla. - Families whose loved ones are buried in a Seminole County cemetery are fighting back after they were told they need to remove all decorations from their graves.

One of the graves is Nick Miner's, the East River High School football player killed in a crash last year. His parents say they've been working on his grave site for seven months.

Deanna Miner, Nick's mother, visits almost every day after work, sometimes for a couple of hours to tend to her son's grave.

"I’m not done taking care of him, and this is my way to do that," Minor said. "I can keep it beautiful, and he deserves that."

Signed stones, flowers, and Nick's football helmet decorate the grave.

Family photo submitted to FOX 35.

Now, the cemetery is saying they will need to clear it all out, except for his headstone.

"I can’t say I didn’t cry for the last week or so since we’ve gotten the letter, just non-stop because it’s not something we should have to deal with on top of everything," Miner said.

Deanna Miner said part of the reason they chose the Chuluota Cemetery was that they saw other graves decorated similarly.

"I like going to even other people’s graves because you can kind of tell who they were by looking at it," said Bonnie Espejo, who lost her son in a motorcycle accident two years ago and had him buried in the cemetery.

She and Miner both purchased the plots directly next to their sons' graves.

"I was really upset because I think they should have reached out to us differently than just send a letter," Espejo said.

FOX 35 News reached out to the cemetery and was told there's been a rule against decorations for years.

The cemetery says the add-ons encroach on other people's plots, and get in the way of their lawn mower.

A new sign says they all have to go by the end of the month, and only fresh flowers will be allowed.

"They don’t understand how much they really have affected us," Miner said. "A grieving parent, a loss of a child is the most difficult thing you could ever have to go through."

Miner says she and other families with loved ones in the cemetery plan to fight the rule change to keep their graves how they are.