HAINES CITY, Fla. — A Davenport man says a clerical error may keep him from being buried next to his deceased wife.
Winston Miles is at his wife's gravesite twice a month at Forest Hills Cemetery.
"I love her and I miss her," said Miles Monday night at the grave.
Mary Miles died in 2010 after more than 30 years of marriage to Winston. She's buried next to her three sons in an area where the family bought eight plots.
But Miles now fears he'll be separated from his wife and won't be spending eternity buried next to her.
"I know right now she's probably turning over at her grave," said Miles.
During a cemetery visit after Hurricane Irma, Miles found a new headstone sitting on top of his burial plot.
Haines City officials point to a Warranty Deed that shows Mary Miles sold that space and two others back to the city in 1992.
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"Recently when the City Clerk was implementing the computerized records system for the Forest Hills Cemetery, she realized that Mary A. Miles had indeed been buried in one of the three Spaces that Mary A. Miles had previously conveyed back to the City in 1992," said Haines City attorney Fred Reilly. "The second space had been subsequently sold to an unrelated third party and their two family members are interned in the second Space. The third Space is open and is still owned by the City."
"All I want are my spaces back," said Miles.
While Miles' burial future is uncertain, his dedication to Mary is not.
"I'll never come and stop visiting. As long as I live I'll be out here checking on her."
City officials say there are three available spots for Miles to be buried near his wife, but none border Mary's gravesite.
"I remain hopeful that we will be able to find a fair and equitable resolution to this situation," said Reilly.
