FL S1588

Creates the Historic Cemeteries Program within the Division of Historical Resources of the Florida Department of State, directed by the State Historic Preservation Officer with three full-time employees, to research, identify, and record abandoned cemeteries with an emphasis on abandoned African-American cemeteries

Establishes a Historic Cemeteries Program Advisory Council appointed by the Secretary of State, composed of regionally distributed members serving 4-year staggered terms without compensation, to provide guidance and recommendations to the program

Authorizes grants, subject to legislative appropriation, to research institutions, colleges, universities, nonprofits, and local governments for genealogical research to identify descendants and for repairing, restoring, and maintaining abandoned African-American cemeteries

Expands the definition of "conservation easement" to include abandoned and neglected cemeteries at least 50 years old, and grants the state an easement for ingress, egress, maintenance, and noninvasive research on private land where credible evidence supports the presence of an abandoned cemetery

Directs the Legislature to appropriate funds for including abandoned African-American cemeteries in the University of South Florida's Black Cemetery Network, with an effective date of July 1, 2022