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Plant City Panel Delivers Parade Safety Ideas

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By GEORGE WILKENS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 23, 2008

PLANT CITY - A task force charged with refining parade safety has recommended the city ban protruding wheels on floats, limit the number of parade units and take other measures to enhance safety.

The eight-member task force, including local parade organizers, Police Chief Bill McDaniel and others, was appointed by city commissioners after a float crushed to death a 9-year-old boy walking in the Plant City Christmas Parade on Dec. 7.

The committee report largely reflects recommendations made by city officials and also affirms the city commission's ban – issued Jan. 14 -- on distributing candy or beads during parades.

The task force's recommendations were presented Monday night to the city commission; the commissioners will consider them in October.

Jordan "Booka" Hays of Inverness was killed during the Christmas parade as he helped distribute candy from the Greater Heights Family Worship Center float, which consisted of a trailer pulled by a truck, city officials have said. The float had stopped momentarily, and Jordan stepped in front of the float's tandem wheels to reach for candy. The protruding wheels rolled over him when the float moved forward, according to a city report.

The committee also advised that the city buy metal barricades to keep spectators off the parade routes.

Barricades for the city's longest parade, the 1.5-mile Florida Strawberry Festival Grand Feature Parade, would cost $150,000 to $200,000, McDaniel said.

"It's just a recommendation," McDaniel said. "It's a huge expenditure. There's not $200,000 in my budget, I assure you," but borrowing barricades from neighboring cities is increasingly difficult, he said.

The committee also recommended:

Rescheduling the Christmas parade from Friday night to Saturday;

Setting up a command post for law enforcement and others at all large events;

Requiring parade organizers to implement pre-parade safety briefings and inspections, with uncorrected violations resulting in ejection;

Limiting parades to 100 or fewer units;

Endorsing a zero tolerance policy on safety breaches by parade vendors;

And increasing the number of volunteer parade marshals.

The recommendation to shift the Christmas parade to Saturday to eliminate closing streets during Friday rush hour prompted a note to commissioners from its organizers. Many parade participants would be unable to make the Saturday date, states the handwritten note from the Christmas parade committee.

At the request of Christmas parade organizers unable to attend Monday, commissioners delayed action on the recommendations until Oct. 13.

Plant City Commissioner Mike Sparkman said the ban on throwing or otherwise distributing items during parades was a big step in the right direction. "I think candy and beads and the [resulting] circus atmosphere has been our downfall," he said.

Reporter George Wilkens can be reached at (813) 865-4433 or gwilkens@tampatrib.com.

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