Florida Disinterment - Digging up the Dead?

As a Jacksonville Estate Planning and Elder Law Lawyer, not much comes as a surprise anymore, not even the few requests for unburying the deceased. It may sound like a B rated movie, but the reasoning behind the requests I have received are heartfelt and compelling.

One family wanted to remove their beloved father from a non-descript cemetery to a Veterans cemetery. One family wants to bring their grandfather (who was married to their grandmother for 50 years) home to the family plot, where their beloved grandmother lies in wait for him. The reasons are varied, but most meaningful to the families making the requests.

Florida disinterment is governed by Florida Statutes Chapter 497, Funeral, Cemetery and Consumer Services. The statute prescribes the authorization, notification, and other procedures that must be followed to enable one to disinter a family member. The process of Florida Disinterment is further governed by the Florida Department of Financial Services, Board of Funeral and Cemetery Services, found in the Florida Administrative Code, Chapter 69K.

There are several criteria that must be addressed before a cemetery will perform a disinterment (exhume, digging up or removing from a grave or tomb). The presence of a licensed funeral director is required (unless the reinterment is to be made in the same cemetery).

There are several permits and written authorization releases that are also mandated. An authorization must be signed by the individuals who, at the time of disinterment, would be permitted to authorize the burial of the decedent. Also required, is a written release from the individual(s) who currently own the burial (interment) rights for the burial space from which the disinterment of the decedent it to take place.

Unless a cemetery is provided with all the proper documentation, they shall not perform the disinterment unless and until such time as they receive a court order instructing them to do so.

If you have any questions about a Florida Disinterment, contact a Jacksonville Estate Planning Lawyer, who has researched the issue and who has gone through the process of disinterment.

View more from the Florida Estate Planning Lawyer Blog. 

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