TAMPA BAY, Fla. -- The July 4th holiday is one of the biggest around Tampa Bay. Tens of thousands of people are expected to head outside for parades, cookouts and fireworks.
With so many people congregating to celebrate the founding of the United States, security concerns are high.
And in light of recent events like the FBI’s arrest of a man who allegedly plotted an attack in downtown Cleveland for July 4, security gains an added significance.
Local law enforcement agencies say they’re always looking for ways to improve their security measures.
Part of that involves working with the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and other partners to track goings-on outside and online.
“A lot happens (security-wise) that people don’t realize,” St. Petersburg Police spokesperson Yolanda Fernandez said. “Especially with social media, we have people that track that because we can’t see every single post. That’s why ‘see something, say something’ is so important.”
Fernandez said crowd numbers have been down slightly the past couple years because of weather, but she estimates up to 50,000 people will line the downtown St. Pete waterfront to watch fireworks over the bay.
“I can tell you that whenever we have a major event we build upon what we’ve learned,” Fernandez said. “While everyone is celebrating, we’re all hands on deck to make sure everyone is safe.”
The same can be said for Tampa Police and the city of Clearwater. Both cities are also expecting thousands of people for fireworks along the Tampa Riverwalk and a celebration in Clearwater’s Coachman Park.
“We host huge events throughout the year, and we train to keep events like those safe,” Tampa Police spokesman Steve Hegarty said. “We have a good plan in place, and we want people to come down and feel safe.”
Clearwater estimates around 10,000 people will attend Clearwater Celebrates America in Coachman Park. Spokesperson Rob Shaw advises revelers to leave fireworks at home and utilize ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft if you’re going to be drinking.
“We’ll be keeping a close eye on drinking and driving,” Shaw said. “And if you see something that doesn’t look quite right, say something.”
Away from large outdoor celebrations, all agencies are once again warning people to not fire guns in the air.
What goes up, must come down, and bullets shot into the air often fall back to earth at nearly the same speed as when fired from a gun.
Celebratory gunfire has been reported to damage property, severely injure and even kill people.
Last year on July 4th, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office used a “Shot Spotter” system to get near-instantaneous alerts whenever a gun was fired.
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