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Iorio, Pirates Negotiate

Tribune photo by JULIE BUSCH

Ye Mystique Krewe of Gasparilla pirate Matt Wash fires blanks into the air before a ride through downtown.

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By NEIL JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 22, 2008

Updated: 01/22/2008 01:47 pm

TAMPA - The tiny downtown park was quiet, running through a typical Tuesday high noon routine. Too quiet.

A woman sat on a bench reading a paper. Workers drained from skyscrapers into the streets for lunch.

Some distant reports echoed from buildings blocks away, but the strollers and lunch-seekers ignored the noise. It could be from some construction site or a backfiring car.

Even as the sound grew louder, the bangs more frequent, there was no sign of alarm as people munched their hot dogs, egg rolls or empanadas.

The Tampish are a calm bunch.

It wasn't until the rolling pirate ship packed with a plunder of pirates pulled up to the curb at Lykes Gaslight Square and the gunshots turned into a fusillade that heads began to turn.

The smell of gun smoke in downtown Tampa must mean it's Gasparilla time.

About 20 pirates kicked off the long prelude to Saturday's events today when they arrived downtown aboard a parade float to abduct the mayor and demand the city's surrender.

There was tough talk from Mayor Pam Iorio.

"We will put up a fight," she said, surrounded by the costumed sea wolves.

Yeah, but no mayor has successfully resisted the invasion. The mayor typically surrenders during the pirate invasion, coming Saturday.

Longtime Tampa residents who have seen this before weren't the only ones unfazed by the commotion.

Seven-month-old Brielle Lever and Marc, 19 months, simply sat in their stroller and blinked at the noise. Their father, Matthew, was exploring downtown while his wife attended a convention and had no idea what he had stumbled upon.

His hometown of Gloucester, Mass., has nothing remotely like Gasparilla.

"Even a 7-month-old can handle the gunfire," he said. "Maybe they shouldn't give up the key to the city."

The gunfire didn't bother Don Manno either, but for a different reason.

"We hear gunshots in the city all the time," said the lawyer from New Jersey.

"I'm not really a fan of your Buccaneers, but I enjoy your real pirates," he said. "Or your real fake pirates."

Teri Bintliff has attended Gasparilla festivities in the past, but the shots startled her at first.

"It caught me by surprise," she said. She'd forgotten the e-mail about the event.

Joined by co-worker Anitra Merricks, they left work to watch.

"It was cool seeing pirates and the little show they put on with the mayor," Merricks said.

As for the mayor and the menacing sea rovers, they all trooped off together for lunch.

Reporter Neil Johnson can be reached at (813) 259-7731 or njohnson@tampatrib.com.

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