Gasparilla 2013 is upon us. In addition to preparing your costume and coordinating with friends, you should also make sure you know all the various rules and regulations pertaining to the event. The past couple of years have seen strict changes to what you can and cannot do at Gasparilla. Not surprisingly, the number of tickets nearly doubled last year, much the result of party goers having no idea that they could not do one thing or another. For instance, parade officials restricted open containers to the parade route. Many people were issued $75 tickets for wandering a measly block off the route and had no idea until it was too late that the rules had tightened.
From the floatilla to the pirate parade to the street festival, Tampa expects crowds of over 300,000 people come January 26th, but those high numbers does not necessarily mean that there is safety in numbers when it comes to breaking the rules. The Tampa Bay Times reports that for local police will be using the $2 million security camera system installed for the Republican National Convention to monitor the parade this year. 58 cameras in total, police will continue to monitor open containers and public intoxication issues from the ground and look for fights, disturbances and other crimes from the sophisticated surveillance system.
The Tampa Bay Times quotes police Chief Jane Castor, “We will also be on the lookout if a child gets separated, or if anyone gets injured, we’ll be able to alert fire-rescue to that.” Following the decision by Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn to keep the cameras originally intended just for the RNC, many individuals and groups (including the Tampa chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union) have expressed concerns about their continued presence within the city. The Tampa Bay Times quotes Mike Phenger on the topic as it relates to Gasparilla, “People go to Gasparilla to have a good time, not to be monitored by the police. It sounds like (Chief Castor) wants to use them for a set of problems that haven’t materialized in previous Gasparilla parades.”
Whichever side of the argument you fall on, know that they will be in use when you are participating in festivities. In addition to security cameras, here’s a look at some of the other ways police will be patrolling Gasparilla this year:
– Ground police walking and getting around on horses, golf carts, Kona bicycles and segways
– Long range acoustic devices—another leftover from the RNC, these powerful megaphones will be used to make announcements
– SWAT truck
– Increased patrol cars monitoring the surrounding area for intoxicated drivers
One of the biggest enforcement changes that took effect last year was the shift from arresting law breakers to issuing citations. In years past, police made hundreds of arrest for things like open containers and public intoxication. Now, police issue civil citations ranging from $75 to $450. This is a good thing—it means that individuals are able to avoid criminal charges that come with an arrest and simply have to pay a fine. Either way, getting caught for breaking the law at Gasparilla is a huge buzz kill.
One thing that will always end in an arrest are those individuals found to be driving or boating under the influence and police will be on high alert for this. We hope you have a wonderful, safe and legal time at Gasparilla this year. If you do find yourself in trouble, make sure to give the attorneys at Finebloom & Haenel P.A. a call. We are available day and night to discuss your situation. We look forward to hearing from you!
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