Hey, Tampa: What's The Deal With All The Pirates?

TAMPA, FL — It's a common question posed by visitors, new residents to the area and anyone in Tampa Bay who's been living under a rock.

Why do seemingly straight-laced Tampa business men and women don eye patches, tricorn hats, sashes and puffy shirts, and start talking like pirates every January?

The obvious answer is "for the fun of it."

But Riverview resident and attorney Lisa Esposito said that's just a fringe benefit of joining one of Tampa's more than 100 pirate krewes and taking part in the annual Gasparilla Pirate Parade and Festival.

Esposito and her fiance, Scott Strange, have been members of the Ye Notorious Krewe of the Peg Leg Pirate for 11 years.

"The reason I joined the krewe was their charitable causes," said Esposito. "It's a wonderful opportunity to give back to the community."

Like the other krewes that participate in the festival, Ye Notorious Krewe of the Peg Leg Pirates is a nonprofit organization that hosts fundraisers throughout the year, raising funds for Tampa charities.

The Peg Leg Pirate Krewe was founded in 2004 by Shirley and Terry Huber and 12 friends. Shirley Huber lost her leg following a car accident 33 years ago and wanted to raise funds to help other amputees.

Now the krewe raises funds to purchase specially designed hand cycles and tricycles for children who are amputees or have other medical conditions that prevent them from riding a standard bicycle.

"I can't describe the joy on a kid's face when they ride a bicycle for the first time in their life," said Esposito.

The krewe has also funded prosthetic arms and legs for children and veterans, paid for children to attend Adventure Amputee Camp in North Carolina and provided college scholarships for young amputees to the tune of more than $350,000 in 12 years.

While the focus of the krewes is on charitable giving, Esposito doesn't deny the allure of dressing up like pirates and cavorting with like-minded people at parades and other festivities.

"You start getting a little crazy with all the pirate stuff," she said. She admits to having an extensive pirate wardrobe with custom-made hats, corsets, boots and frock coats.

"You can never have too many pirate things," said Esposito. "I've known people who have spent up to $10,000 on their costumes."

After Saturday's Gasparilla Parade and pirate parties are past, Esposito said the charitable works of the krewes continue year-round.

"It's a long and pretty wild day, but we're a big family, and we support each other's charity events," she said. "This is our way of giving back."