Fireworks to light some cities, not others

As Dunedin and other cities cancel July 4 fireworks shows, Clearwater and Safety Harbor will go on with their events.

By KRISTINE MILLEN

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 22, 2000

The rain came too late for some cities to salvage Fourth of July celebrations.

Tarpon Springs, Largo and Dunedin have canceled their fireworks shows -- even though the Pinellas County Commission on Tuesday lifted its fireworks ban.

But other Pinellas cities, including Clearwater and St. Petersburg, are planning traditional celebrations. And in Safety Harbor, the drought resulted in what Mayor Pam Corbino believes will be one of the biggest and best Fourth of July celebrations the city has ever had.

City commissioners are moving the $18,000 display from Alligator Lake in South City Park to the shores of Tampa Bay near Seventh Street S.

Although the show was never in jeopardy, Corbino said the City Commission did not feel comfortable about the lake's close proximity to a residential area.

"With the dry conditions," Corbino said, "it would only take one spark and you have a whole tree that is going to flare up. We didn't want to take any chances."

The fireworks will be launched from a barge rented from Florida Dredge and Dock in Tarpon Springs, a company owned by former Safety Harbor commission member Don Fletcher.

"It was a challenge finding a barge and at such a late date," said Assistant City Manager Wayne Logan.

After checking out two other companies that charged $3,500 and $6,500 for the one-night use of a flat bottom vessel, the city contacted Fletcher. His $1,000 rental fee and the additional cost charged by Zambelli Fireworks Internationale of New Castle, Pa., to shoot off the fireworks is being picked up from donations by Time Warner Communications and Safety Harbor Spa and Resort, Logan said.

"Everybody is working behind the scenes pulling things together to make this happen," Corbino said. "We love doing things like this and showing off our town at the same time. It's that small-town flavor and community spirit that everybody loves about Safety Harbor."

Spectators will have three areas in which to view the fireworks: South City Park, the city marina and Safety Harbor Historical Museum on Bayshore Boulevard. Fireworks begin at 9 p.m.

All three locations will have concessions, which will give more of the town's service organizations a chance to raise some money.

"We took an event that almost wasn't going to happen and are turning it into what we think will be one of the best shows ever," Corbino said.

County commissioners dropped a ban on fireworks sales and most demonstrations Tuesday after the drought index dropped as low as 240 in areas of St. Petersburg to just over 500 in north county. The index was nearly 780 when the ban was placed two weeks ago, said County Administrator Fred Marquis. An 800 is considered desertlike conditions, he added.

Largo officials said Wednesday that they would stick to their earlier decision not to have a fireworks display during festivities at Largo Central Park. Staffers hope to host a show on Veterans Day.

Dunedin commissioners agreed in May to scratch their fireworks show, even though its fireworks are discharged over the Intracoastal Waterways from a spot on south Honeymoon Island.

This will be the second consecutive year Dunedin has called off its July 4 show, said Harry Gross, director of leisure services. A celebration at Edgewater Park from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. is still on.

Clearwater will launch fireworks from a barge in the Intracoastal Waterway starting at 9:30 p.m. And in St. Petersburg, fireworks are planned near The Pier that evening.

Tarpon Springs city commissioners decided Tuesday that the threat of fire was still too great and voted unanimously to cancel the show. The fireworks would have been set off from the Tarpon Springs Golf Course on Pinellas Avenue.

"It would be very hard to explain why we did it and had a fire," said fire Chief Harry Leonard.

Tarpon Springs has received only about 2 inches of rain this month, less than half the rainfall other parts of the county have received, Leonard said.

Times staff writers Katherine Gazella and Eric Stirgus contributed to this report.

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