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Kickball Players Say Tampa Is Off Base On Permit Demand

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By ELLEN GEDALIUS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 13, 2008

TAMPA - Every week for about the past two months, a group of women and their daughters have gotten together at city parks to play kickball.

Many of the women live in public or other low-cost housing developments. The eight teams represent different housing communities.

Sunday afternoon is game day.

Or at least it was. Several weeks ago, the kickball teams started clashing with the city. City officials told the women they needed permits to play. The women said they were just trying to play a friendly game of kickball.

The issue escalated Sunday when kickball players held a rally at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park. The situation got even testier Monday when a community activist filed a formal complaint with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

"It's civil rights; they have the right to play in that park," said Michelle Williams, who filed the complaint. "Every time they play in a park, they are asked to leave."

City parks and police officials say it's more complicated than that. The city started hearing complaints from neighborhood residents about the commotion during and after the kickball games.

The problem: Hundreds of people congregate at the parks during the kickball games. The police department has heard complaints about trash in nearby yards, parking issues, drinking, drug abuse and fights. On April 13, the city made nine drug arrests linked to the kickball games, police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said.

"When you have that many people gathered, there's a reason for the permitting process," Davis said.

Parks Director Karen Palus said the group can register as a league with the city. There's no cost to become a league, but there are some permit costs, and sports programs are required to carry liability insurance, she said.

"The point where you need a permit is when it becomes an organized activity," Palus said. A group of friends playing kickball one afternoon doesn't need a permit. Several organized teams playing every week do.

Events with more than 200 people attending require a permit, Palus said.

If pulling a permit, the teams would have to tell the city when and where they are playing. That helps the city plan for security and cleanup crews, said Santiago Corrada, neighborhood services administrator.

Kickball player Pam Knight said she didn't understand why a permit was necessary.

"All we're doing is playing kickball against organized communities," Knight said. "We just don't know why we can't play in a community park. Some of these women have no income."

Curtis Stokes, head of the local NAACP, said there's no reason the players need a permit.

"You have a group of young ladies who have formed teams and want to have good, clean fun in city parks," Stokes said. "There are fights at the mall. There are fights at concerts. There are fights at Bucs games, but they don't get shut down. No one needs insurance to go to the park and play."

Stokes, who said his agency will monitor the complaint but won't investigate, said he is disappointed with the way the city has handled the situation. He said officials such as Mayor Pam Iorio should have been involved from the start.

Iorio said Monday she first heard of the problems on Friday and that Corrada was working on a solution.

Corrada said he is willing to find common ground.

"We want to work with whomever to have a great event," Corrada said. "We need the information, we need the cooperation."

County Commissioner Kevin White attended Sunday's rally. On Monday, he compared the situation with an issue from three years ago, when he was on the city council. The West Tampa Cultural Society had gatherings in the park that drew as many as 5,000 people. City officials at the time said they heard complaints about traffic, littering, alcohol and drugs.

White said the kickball players aren't trying to create any problems.

"So what if 20 girls want to go out and play kickball?" White said. "It's ludicrous to make these girls pay a fee."

Reporter Ellen Gedalius can be reached at (813) 259-7679 or egedalius@tampatrib.com.

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