All Hands On Deck As City Departments Prepare for Invasion News General, News Mayor Office, News Parks and Recreation, News Solid Waste, News Special Events Coordination, News[...]

With word that the Gasparilla pirates will be raiding Downtown Tampa today, city departments are preparing for their invasion Saturday.

From public safety, to clean up, it will be 'all hands hoay' again this weekend to ensure fun is the focus for all those planning to welcome the pirates along Bayshore Boulevard.

"Putting on an event of this magnitude requires teamwork across all fronts, and at the end of the day, our city staff who work the parade route -- before, during, and after -- are the true treasure of the season," said Mayor Jane Castor. "Thanks to them, we all get to enjoy Tampa's iconic pirate tradition."

Over the past 20 years, clean-up time has been cut from 18 hours to approximately three hours. The Tampa Parks and Recreation and Solid Waste departments work together to remove the unwanted loot from the parade route spanning 4.5 miles. Last year, 15 tons of garbage was collected by the Solid Waste Department.

In preparation, this week more than 5,000 trash boxes are being assembled by Tampa Parks and Recreation staff and will be distributed along the parade route the day before. Once the pirates make their way through Bayshore Boulevard, Tampa Parks and Recreation will be responsible for supervising tree clean-up, removing beads, balloons, and other items that missed their mark. The Bead Reuse Program, managed by the city Recycling Team, in partnership with the MacDonald Training Center, also begins its operation at that time, collecting, cleaning, and repackaging beads to be used during the next parade season. Last year, over 4,000 lbs were processed at the MacDonald Training Center.

The Mobility Department will be deploying 6 mechanical sweepers after the parade is done. Last year, they covered a total of 228 miles, nearly the distance between Tampa to Miami. The sweepers have to sweep the parade route several times to ensure all trash is collected. In addition to clean-up, the department is also responsible for the setup and breakdown of the event barriers, with an entirely separate team dedicated to monitoring clean-up efforts from the Emergency Operations Center and the Traffic Management Center.

Public safety agencies, like the Tampa Police Department, Tampa Fire Rescue, and other partners are also working around the clock to secure the parade route and monitor the day's events. Nearly every police specialty unit is activated to provide security from land, air, and sea, reminding all Tampanians their city is still safe even during an invasion.