Community Corner
Buckhorn Denies Gasparilla Pirates Key To City: Watch
The annual demand to surrender the city to pirates will now be followed by Saturday's Gasparilla invasion, Tampa's annual community event
TAMPA, FL - At downtown Tampa's Lykes Gaslight Park, a group of Gasparilla pirates demanded that Mayor Bob Buckhorn turn over the key to the city Tuesday morning.
The mayor refused.
“Fifty guys against one Irish guy, that’s a fair fight,” Buckhorn quipped at one point.
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The annual demand to surrender the city to pirates (which Tampa mayors always refuse) will now be followed by the pirate invasion on Saturday during the 2018 Gasparilla Pirate Fest.
Tampa’s annual community event begins with the Gasparilla Invasion. The invasion will be led by the replica pirate ship, the Jose Gasparilla, the world's only fully rigged pirate ship. Thousands of spectators will line the downtown waterfront Saturday morning to watch the Jose Gasparilla and a large flotilla of pirate-filled pleasure crafts sail into the south end of Hillsborough Bay starting at 11:30 a.m. This year, the Jose Gasparilla will carry the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup trophy on board in honor of Tampa hosting the NHL All-Star Game this weekend.
Find out what's happening in Tampafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
See Related Story: Gasparilla Pirate Fest: What You Need To Know
Every year they send the same lame @GasparillaTampa pirates to invade my office and try to take the key to the city. Well, I'm not surrendering that easy! I told those knuckleheads to come back on Saturday for a real fight--who's with me Tampa? pic.twitter.com/58WDYMPtNm
— Bob Buckhorn (@BobBuckhorn) January 23, 2018
Images and video via City of Tampa
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