Children’s Gasparilla Parade safety is a joint effort as crowds return to Bayshore Boulevard
TAMPA, Fla. - Gasparilla season is finally back in full swing and as pirates parade down Bayshore Boulevard once again emergency responders watched from a special operations center to make sure the invasion went off without a hitch.
Cameras stationed along the parade route give officials a view of everything going on and more than a dozen agencies made up of law enforcement officers, fire rescue and tactical dispatch, pitch in to provide security for the big day.
They keep watch from a "situation room" inside Tampa Police Department headquarters.
"You’ll have every entity in the surrounding area: FBI, FDLE, HCSO, the highway patrol, the traffic management center, we’ll even have waste management in here so you’ll literally have everyone together to make sure everything goes smoothly," said Tampa police dispatcher Emily Denny.
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Despite a chill in the air and overcast skies, pirates are plundering through the streets of Tampa on Saturday for the 75th annual Children’s Gasparilla Parade.
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The eyes in the sky at the joint command center help relay information to the boots on the ground in a moment’s notice in case any of the partying pirates need a helping hand.