Tampa Bay Times
TAMPA, Fla. 鈥� The annual Gasparilla Parade that brought more than 300,000 revelers to Bayshore Boulevard was busy for Tampa Fire Rescue, but slow for the Hillsborough County Sheriff鈥檚 Office.
Deputies arrested just one person, who was boating under the influence, and ejected two from the festivities, according to the Sheriff鈥檚 Office.
鈥淚鈥檓 thankful for our deputies that worked out in the heat today to ensure that everyone who attended the parade was able to do so safely,鈥� Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. 鈥淵our Sheriff鈥檚 Office prepared for our annual pirate invasion for months, so to see it go off so smoothly is something teamHCSO should be proud of.鈥�
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A spokesperson for the Tampa Police Department said their officers arrested 18. Of those, two were for driving under the influence and eight were for boating under the influence.
鈥淚 want to thank all of the Tampa Police officers who worked to keep paradegoers safe,鈥� Chief Lee Bercaw said in a statement. 鈥淭his event is truly a team effort. I would like to also thank the many law enforcement agencies from around Tampa Bay that assisted in keeping Gasparilla safe for everyone.鈥�
Fire Rescue said their staff responded to 156 medical calls. Of those, 36 required transport by ambulance to an area medical facility for additional evaluation.
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One call was to help a 78-year-old man who fell from a parade float at around 4:20 p.m. at the corner of Bayshore Boulevard and South Boulevard, according to Fire Rescue. Medical response paused the parade for approximately 25 minutes. The man was transported to a local hospital in stable condition.
鈥淚 am grateful for all of our first responders including our dispatchers that worked this demanding event,鈥� Fire Chief Barbara Tripp said in a statement. 鈥淚 am also thankful to our partner agencies, Tampa General Hospital, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, TransCare, James A. Haley Veterans Hospital and the American Red Cross for their assistance. In the midst of the Florida heat with hundreds of thousands of revelers attending today鈥檚 parade, their unwavering dedication and teamwork shined in our community.鈥�
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