TAMPA — Gasparilla partiers, don't fret: You'll be able to buy beer along the parade route.
City Council member John Dingfelder several weeks ago suggested asking stores in South Tampa to suspend alcohol sales on Gasparilla day. He also floated the idea of rejecting requests from nonprofit groups seeking temporary wet zonings on parade day, sending an e-mail to administrators asking them to turn down the requests.
But after hearing resistance from fellow council members on Thursday and pleas from nonprofit groups, he backed off the ideas.
"You're saying to businesses, (on) one of the peak times of the year for them, don't make a profit," council chairman Tom Scott said. "It's not illegal. You're asking them to do something they're not going to do."
Dingfelder raised the ideas at a workshop several weeks ago when the council was briefed on plans to rein in the annual celebration.
The number of officers on hand for the Jan. 30 parade will increase from 210 to 260, and people who live near the route will have officers' cell phone numbers so they can report inappropriate behavior. Police will be on the lookout for people drinking in neighborhoods outside the wet-zoned area along the parade route, engaging in sex acts or urinating in public.
In addition to a greater police presence, the number of portable toilets will be increased from 800 to 1,600. Plans also call for limiting the waterside reserved seating area to between Bay to Bay Boulevard and Howard Avenue and extending the parade route downtown to thin out the crowds. School leaders will talk to students about underage drinking in advance of the parade, and South Tampa homeowners who host parties where there is underage drinking will be sought out.
The measures are a response to complaints from South Tampa residents after a bout out-of-control behavior at this year's event.
Dingfelder said he loves Gasparilla and, in the spirit of fun and cooperation, he would withdraw his requests.
"I'm hopeful the programs being implemented will work and improve the situation," Dingfelder said. "The discussion has been extremely helpful because the attention it's brought to the issue will make everybody more responsible."
Janet Zink can be reached at jzink@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3401.
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