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Advice Can Keep Gasparilla Revelers From Saying 'Arrrgh'

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By VALERIE KALFRIN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 4, 2009

TAMPA - Police outlined a few tips for Gasparilla revelers today to keep them from saying, "Arrrrgh" in frustration over parking and congestion: Plan your route early and pack light.

The pirate invasion and festival, a Tampa tradition since 1904, is expected to draw a half-million spectators to downtown and south Tampa on Saturday – and more than a thousand officers from the
Tampa Police Department, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and Florida Highway Patrol, police said.

Residents who live along the parade route from Bayshore and Bay to Bay boulevards north to Jackson and Morgan streets can expect changes to parking restrictions and traffic flow as early as Friday, Tampa police Maj. Marc Hamlin said.

Police will block certain streets to allow access for emergency vehicles. Motorists who need to park elsewhere will see tickets on their vehicles after noon on Friday and could be towed after 10 p.m.
Friday, Hamlin said.

Street closures begin at 6 p.m. Friday, shutting down the northbound lanes of Franklin Street from Whiting to Brorein and the Florida Avenue/Channelside exit of the Selmon Crosstown Expressway.

Hamlin advised people attending the parade to park at city garages downtown or In Ybor City and reach the parade route by the trolley, or to park for free at Raymond James Stadium, Lots 1 and 3. A round-trip shuttle from the stadium to Hyde Park Avenue and DeLeon Street costs $10 per person and runs from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Remember where you parked – lost revelers ask police for help each year – and travel in groups, Hamlin said.

Do not bring a cooler unless you're toting medication or drinks for young children. Although the parade route is zoned for alcohol distribution, drinkers must purchase beverages from vendors; open containers and glass bottles are not allowed, Hamlin said.

A "major contingency" of undercover officers will focus on nabbing underage drinkers and curtailing disorderly behavior, Hamlin said.

"I'm sure people are going to slip through the cracks. With half-a-million people and a thousand police officers, obviously you can't interact with everybody," he said. "But there won't be any ignoring of it."

Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at vkalfrin@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7800.

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