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Altered route, more toilets proposed for Gasparilla

TBO.com file photo

Police plan to crack down on open containers of alcohol at next year's Gasparilla parade.

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By NEIL JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 7, 2009

TAMPA - Gasparilla organizers believe more will be better for next year's parade, as well as soothing concerns of South Tampa residents whose neighborhoods often are plagued by intoxicated revelers.

Changes proposed for the Jan. 30 event include: a different, slightly longer route; more space for spectators; more police presence in neighborhoods; and, maybe most important, more portable toilets.

Police also will have a zero-tolerance policy for open containers, kegs, underage drinking and public urination.

The ideas will be aired today at a 6 p.m. public meeting at the Kate Jackson Community Center, 821 S. Rome Ave., said Jim Robbins, captain of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla.

City and police representatives, and Darrell Stefany, president of EventFest and project manager for Gasparilla, are expected to address the audience.

Stefany, whose company has helped run Gasparilla for 18 years, said the changes are not set in stone and are open to ideas from the community.

"We see these as initiatives that can help," he said. "This is an ongoing process. This isn't take it or leave it."

The alterations come from meetings with krewe members, city representatives, the event organizer and neighbors.

A final decision rests with the city, which would work with the krewe and EventFest, said Santiago Corrada, the city's neighborhood services administrator.

"We've tried to come up with a solution for all the issues," he said.

One of the more visible changes would be a doubling of portable toilets from 800 to 1,600.

"They will be placed in locations that make the most sense," Robbins said.

A major complaint of Hyde Park residents was the number of people urinating in public. This year, residents took photos of the behavior and the images helped fuel talks about parade problems.

The parade's final leg would be altered by sending it across the Hillsborough River at the Brorein Street Bridge and north through downtown along Ashley Drive. It would end at Cass Street.

The current route crosses the river at Platt Street, then follows Florida Avenue.

The shift would add three or four blocks to the parade and take the route past several city parks on Ashley, spreading spectators over a slightly larger area, Robbins said.

In another change, bleachers would be removed from a half-mile of the route on the water side of Bayshore Boulevard between Howard and Rome avenues. That space has been reserved for paying spectators, but would be opened to the public.

"That will take some of the pressure off the land side," Robbins said.

There also will be more security, with Hillsborough County deputies and state beverage agents working the parade. The agents will focus on underage drinking.

More Tampa police officers will be assigned away from the route and into surrounding neighborhoods to enforce the zero-tolerance rules and keep order.

Also, neighborhood leaders will have cell phone numbers of police squad leaders to improve communication when problems emerge, Robbins said.

Along with route changes, Stefany said his company and Ye Mystic Krewe want to help initiate a campaign to educate the community about underage drinking. By the fall, they want to start working with schools, colleges, community groups, neighborhood associations and parents.

"We want to make sure it is being addressed," Stefany said.

Reporter José Patoño Girona contributed to this report. Reporter Neil Johnson can be reached at (813) 259-7731.

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