To be sure, the rain was a major factor in the reining in of the sort of crude and lewd conduct that had annually come to characterize the “adult” Gasparilla parade. “Invasion” was all too literal. But check out these statistics: Half as many spectators, three times as many arrests.
A message was sent. “Zero tolerance,” which had been heralded in drumbeat fashion for months, was obviously enforced and reinforced. Next year, presumably without the rain, we’ll see how that message has resonated – and what remains of the learning curve. But so far, so good.
The word is out. An arrest warrant, court date and a dumped open container are sobering disincentives to anyone trying to channel the Gasparilla drunkfest of 2009.
A few more afterthoughts on Gasparilla 2010:
· For too long, the city tolerated the intolerable. South Tampa homeowners, maybe because they were lucky enough to live in nice houses in an affluent neighborhood, were supposed to take one for the team and not overreact to grossness and property destruction in their midst. Frankly, I think the turning point — in addition to more unified, publicly-expressed outrage — was the cell phone video footage of last year’s debauchery, which went YouTubing everywhere. It made Tampa look awful. Hardly the sort of city that was trying to burnish its image with light rail, new museums and convention-and-tourism ambience. We think Super Bowl; others saw Super Brawl. A viral video is the PR from hell.
· Ratcheting talk of “attractive nuisance” lawsuit threats — in the aftermath of any serious injury or death — is always unsettling. And Tampa was looming vulnerable.
· Nobody went from the St. John’s “Safe House” to the hospital this year.
· Basically, Bayshore Boulevard is one, long “wet zone.” That must seem downright arbitrary to the Bud Blight brigade cruising the neighborhoods adjacent to the zone. No, it’s not an unconscionable double standard, and it doesn’t, of course, excuse illegal acts and boorish behavior — but it hardly helps. There is talk about limiting alcohol to that purchased and consumed in the zone.
· Here’s hoping the inviting, concert-perfect Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park – and the nearby establishments — becomes party central for the demographic that is being weaned off of pre-2010 behavior.
· And speaking of Curtis Hixon Park, it was, ironically the scene of the most notable Gasparilla incident. A worker with the sound production crew that was breaking down the stage damaged a corner of the new Tampa Museum of Art with a piece of equipment. Some things you can’t blame on drunken revelers.
· “Flinging in the Rain”: Hats – or ponchos – off to Mayor Pam Iorio. She was not deterred by the rain even if her signature coiffeur turned into a flattop. It wasn’t a flattering look, but a becoming effort. Equally drenched spectators appreciated it.
· Too bad someone on President Obama’s staff didn’t do a better job of backgrounding him on Tampa before his town hall meeting. The UT gathering was only two days before Gasparilla. Some in his audience were bedecked with beads, which the president mistook for “New Orleans” style. What an opportunity he would have had to remind everyone within earshot that “Responsibility is the Key” for Tampa’s signature event. How’s that for reinforcement?
· Final words: “Children’s Parade.” The right kind of crowd, even gigantic, is not incompatible with a residential neighborhood. Families fueled on lemonade police themselves.