Recent Gasparilla Parade post-mortems have featured plenty of criticism as Hyde Park residents shared tales of out-of-control revelers in their midst.
Last week’s post-Gasparilla 2010 gathering at Kate Jackson Recreation Center in South Tampa had a different vibe. Gratitude reigned. “And this was not a one-year crackdown,” underscored Santiago Corrada, Tampa’s Convention Center, Tourism, Recreation and Cultural Arts Administrator. “There won’t be any backing down from us.”
Indeed, year one of changing the punks-and-drunks culture was a success. Not seamless, but certainly successful.
Sure the weather was a factor — but half as many people and three times as many arrests still meant a message had been sent. Via the traditional media, public-service announcements, billboards and school assemblies. And it was reinforced on game day by a Tampa Police Department with a long overdue, coordinated agenda to push back. Logistical changes, such as more port-a-lets, a longer parade route and a new party venue at Curtis Hixon Park obviously helped.
One change for next year: look for more emphasis on the proximity between the Bayshore wet-zone and adjacent areas subject to the open-container laws. Look for high-profile, well-advertised maps highlighting the impacted areas.
And there were a few grumblings about better officer discretion when it comes to imbibing residents who obviously weren’t party to mayhem or underage drinking. To some, it seemed almost arbitrary as to what was and what wasn’t legal quaffing of alcoholic beverages.
“We will make that crystal clear,” noted TPD Assistant Chief of Police Marc Hamlin. “We thought it was. But we have to change the culture.”
One final note. Corrada, who until recently had been the city Administrator of Neighborhood Services, played a part in Tampa’s official pitch for the GOP convention in 2012. He was still waxing euphoric. “If we don’t get it this time, well, we never will,” he said.