Florida community addresses problem of high cost of funerals and burial of indigents.
Funerals and burials are not a minor expense and a Florida county had such a significant problem of disposing of the bodies that they have acquired a cemetery, according the Tallahassee Democrat in “A priceless burden: Indigent burials at Leon County’s ‘pauper’s cemetery’.”
The cemetery previously belonged to a hospital, but the county purchased it to dispose of the remains of the indigent as inexpensively as possible. Graves are marked with the most basic of markers and no actual funeral services are allowed at the cemetery.
The deceased are buried as quickly and with as little fuss as possible.
This is an issue that could get worse before it gets better.
Elderly people are living longer and in greater numbers. That makes it likely that many more elderly will pass away in the future after they have run out of their own money.
The burden to bury them will be on the government.
Reference: Tallahassee Democrat (June 24, 2017) “A priceless burden: Indigent burials at Leon County’s ‘pauper’s cemetery’.”
