Gasparilla floats damaged, cannons stolen

A pirate ship in dry-dock was boarded this weekend by vandals and thieves who made off with four black-powder cannons.

The break-in, damage and theft occurred at a storage yard in Largo where two parade floats belonging to the Krewe of Santa Margarita were kept.

The floats, one a Spanish galleon pirate ship and the other a pirate shanty, were stored behind a locked fence and beneath a roof, but not behind walls, said Krewe founder Jeff DiPolito. More than $1,000 in damage was done, DiPolito said, which doesn't include the value of what was stolen.

Krewe member Mark Dauck, who handles the cannons, stopped by Sunday morning to pick up some beads to take to a charity event later in the day and discovered the damage, which likely was caused by teenagers, DiPolito said. Neighbors reported seeing two teenage boys scaling the fence of the storage yard at 6227 126th Ave., on Saturday, he said.

"They pretty much trashed both floats," he said. "They broke windows, tipped over the bar, took all the decorations off the walls. They tried to steal sound equipment but couldn't get it disconnected."

Damage seemed to be random, he said, leading him to believe the vandals weren't there to profit from the crime.

Soda bottles were opened and drained and some liquor bottles appeared to be missing. On the galleon, a canvas covering the galley was ripped.

All the stuff can be fixed, he said, but replacing the cannons could prove difficult.

"I think we paid about $250 each for them," DiPolito said, "but where can you go to get them these days?"

They are not the big cannons you see on a real pirate ship, he said. "They are not light," he said. "But one person can carry two, one under each arm."

Largo police collected whatever evidence they could, DiPolito said.

A report was generated, but little information was available, said Lt. Michael Loux. A more complete report will be written, he said.

The Krewe and the owner of the property have pitched in to offer a $600 reward for information leading to the arrests of the vandals, he said.

DiPolito said it was the first time in the Krewe's 10-year existence that such a crime has happened.

"We've found at times evidence of people climbing the floats," he said, "but it's never really been malicious."