The City Monitors St. Pete Crowds For Memorial Day Weekend

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Memorial Day weekend is generally a time of large gatherings that include outdoor cookouts, baseball games, parades and other crowd-focused events. However, St. Pete residents are having alternate get-togethers due the coronavirus pandemic, and officials say they will be monitoring crowds this year to ensure people are following public health guidelines.

The St. Pete Police Department wants everyone to get out and enjoy the warm weather, but officials want everyone to keep safety in mind by practicing social distancing and abiding by rules. When the city began the restart phase of reopening St. Pete, the police department said it handed crowd monitoring over to code compliance with St. Pete Parks and Recreation.

Many residents have called the non-emergency number of the St. Pete Police Department at 727-893-7780 to report crowd gatherings of 10 or more that they've seen around the city. Police are working with code compliance enforcement to respond to these calls.

St. Pete Police will assist code compliance enforcement officers if anyone disregards a warning about large crowd gatherings not just for Memorial Day weekend but any time issues arise that do not allow for 6 feet of social distancing. Most residents in St. Pete have complied with the crowd gathering warnings given to them by city compliance officers, said police. It hasn't escalated to the point of a citation, which could potentially be a $500 fine or 60 days in jail if people do not obey police warnings.

As parks and recreation staff monitor public crowds this weekend, St. Pete Police's concern for Memorial Day weekend is residents who might get behind the steering wheel of their vehicle intoxicated.

St. Pete Police Tips for a Safe Memorial Day Weekend:

• Do not drink and drive. Officers will not tolerate impaired driving. So if you are going to be drinking, have a plan to get home. If you don’t have a designated sober driver … call a taxi or request a ridesharing service like Uber or Lyft.
• If you decide to go out of town, let a friend or family member know where you will be and when you plan on coming back. Should something happen to you, they will be able to track you down.