Gasparilla Parade Invades Tampa Bay

It is Gasparilla weekend here in the Tampa Bay Area. The Gasparilla Pirate Invasion and Parade is one of the biggest events that occur in Tampa every year. The streets are lined with children and adults along the Parade route attempting to get their hands on the beads, coins, candy and other miscellaneous trinkets the Pirates are throwing into the crowd. There are hundreds of boats out in the Bay as the Pirate ship docks and the Pirates take over the city of Tampa. Some of these boaters are consuming alcohol and enjoying the party from the water. In recent years there have been dozens of arrests of boaters for Boating Under the Influence.

Alcohol consumption is often a part of Americans enjoying themselves. The downside to alcohol consumption, however, is that it impairs judgment and makes people to take risks they would not take if they were not drinking. Because of this, alcohol is one of the biggest contributors to personal injury and death in America.

Florida personal injury law has always tried to deter people from conduct that causes injury. Florida law does this with irresponsible drinking by allowing a jury to award punitive damages against anyone under the influence of alcohol that causes injury or death. In those cases, punitive damage can be awarded in addition to damages awarded to compensate the injured person for their injury. The goal of punitive damages is to punish the wrongdoer for their actions by awarding enough money to discourage both the wrongdoer and others from engaging in the conduct in the future.

Florida has caps on how much money can be awarded for punitive damages in most cases. However, there are no caps on the amount of punitive damages a jury can award to punish someone that causes injury while drunk. The only limit is that the award cannot bankrupt the wrongdoer.

Driving or boating under the influence of drugs or alcohol is a negligent act that can turn deadly. If you are drinking alcohol, be safe, be smart, designate a driver or call a cab. There are cab companies that partner up with other businesses to provide safe rides home, if you have had too much to drink or are impaired.

In recent years, the City of Tampa and Parade Officials have put new rules in place to cut down on the excessive drinking that has occurred at this event in the past. They have imposed a zero tolerance policy for alcohol violations during the Gasparilla Parade.