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The Plant City Courier & Tribune

Plant City > News

New Parade Rules Allow Candy, Beads

By GEORGE WILKENS

gwilkens@tampatrib.com

Published: November 26, 2008

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Jordan Hays

PLANT CITY - Recently revised rules for the Plant City Christmas Parade disregard the city's ban on distributing candy and beads, instead dictating such trinkets be dispensed only from behind floats, and never thrown.

Investigation of the death of 9-year-old Jordan "Booka" Hays as he dispensed candy from a church float in the 2007 Christmas parade led to a voluminous city report recommending a dozen safety enhancements. Topping the list - a prohibition against "the tossing or passing out of candy, beads, etc. during all parades."

In response, on Jan. 14, the Plant City Commission voted unanimously to implement three of the report's safety measures, including banning candy and beads and forming a committee to further enhance parade safety.

After months of meetings, the eight-member Parade Safety Committee issued a Sept. 22 final report of nine recommendations, also topped by a ban on candy and beads.

On Oct. 13, city commissioners adopted a resolution in support of the committee's recommendations.

Mayor Rick Lott said that although the new parade rule prohibiting the throwing of candy and beads is a safety improvement, it falls short.

"Our resolution stated we didn't want beads or candy or any objects thrown from vehicles," Lott said. "We'll revisit this and see if we need to take further action. It's obviously something we need to discuss," he said. "We thought a resolution was strong enough."

City Attorney Ken Buchman said a resolution lacks the teeth of an ordinance. "An ordinance would give the city the ability to enforce it through fines or other means," he said.

Viewing the list of 14 parade rules distributed Nov. 19, and speaking to the one dealing with candy and beads, Buchman said, "It's inconsistent with the resolution ... something city commission may want to address at later time."

The inconsistency does not pose a legal problem for the city, he said. "The city is not putting on this parade, it's handled by the parade committee," he said. "I can't foresee anything the city is doing would create liability for the city." Issuing a parade permit "is the sole thing we do" involving the parade, he said.

Lott acknowledges trinkets have played a role in the parade's 25-year history. "It's a long tradition," he said. "Part of a parade is the joy of making kids happy, and what makes kids happy are floats, entertainment and beads and candy."

Still, he said, it would be imprudent not to support recommendations by a Parade Safety Committee whose members have many years of parade experience.

Explaining the position of the Plant City Parade Committee, co-chairman Frank LaBarbera said, "We're not promoting handing out candy. We're just saying if you choose to do it, we didn't do away with it in our particular parade," he said. "Our insurance company doesn't have a problem with it."

Mentioning the city resolution, LaBarbera said, "What they're doing is just making recommendations. When it was all said and done, they left it up to the different parade committees. That's the way it was left and that's the way we understood it," he said.

Christmas Parade Committee members agreed: "It wouldn't be much of parade if you don't have some candy and some trinkets," he said.

LaBarbera said the new rules improve safety without going to the extreme of banning candy and beads.

"We're not going to let people walk beside a float and hand out candy; they've got to walk behind the float," a task preferably assigned to adults or teens, he said. "They can't throw anything, they've got to literally hand it out. So we think it'll be fine."

Commissioners and other city officials riding in the parade will not distribute beads and candy, the mayor said.

"We hope all parade participants follow rules and have a safe and enjoyable parade, and I'm sure we will," Lott said.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Plant City Christmas Parade

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Dec. 5

WHERE: Starts at Collins and Alsobrook streets, follows Collins north before heading east on Reynolds Street to Michigan Avenue

COST: Free

Reporter George Wilkens can be reached at (813) 865-4433.

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