FWC to crack down on drunk boating during Gasparilla

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — With Gasparilla less than 48 hours away, law enforcement agencies are making their final preparations for the massive undertaking, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is no different. The agency is one of many that will be watching boaters very carefully on Saturday.

“If you’re going to consume alcohol, have a designated sober operator, not the least drunk operator,” said Captain Matthew Dallarosa. “We want someone who’s truly sober, able to operate that boat, especially if you’re planning to stay through the night.”

FWC said it doesn’t want to see any boating under the influence, especially with the anticipated warm weather, potentially meaning several hundreds of boats on the water.

“Designated sober operator is very important,” said Capt. Dallarosa. “If you’re going to consume, we don’t want you behind the wheel so that everyone can have a safe time.”

On Thursday, FWC, its officers and partner agencies gathered together.

“We’ve been doing months of preparation, planning, make sure we have our vessels ready, our personnel ready,” said Capt. Dallarosa. “Today’s kind of our big briefing of that, where we’ll roll out that operational plan, make sure our officers are aware of all the conditions that exist.”

The agency said it will have dozens of vessels on the water and upwards of 60 officers on patrol during the invasion.

“On the safety side of things, having a life jacket for everybody on board, a throwable device, fire extinguisher, flares if you’re going to be out after night, and then a sound-producing device so that you’re in compliance with the state law.,” the captain said.

Every Gasparilla, FWC said it has to take some kind of law enforcement action against drunk boaters and other lawbreakers.

“So it’s no different than any other day ultimately,” said Capt. Dallarosa. “Our officers are out there to make sure everyone has a good time, to deal with any issues that arise.”

FWC works with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Coast Guard and Tampa Police’s Marine Unit to keep boaters safe.