Tampa’s annual Gasparilla parade is named for Jose Gaspar, the notorious pirate. Born in 1756 to a prosperous Barcelona family, he left Spain after authorities caught him in a plot to snatch that nation’s crown jewels. He hijacked a Spanish man-of-war and spent the next few decades terrorizing the Caribbean and hiding out along Florida’s Gulf Coast. He swiped $30-million worth of gold during a lifetime of treachery. Or so the story goes. So what if it’s a complete fabrication? Gasparilla — a 1940s version of which is seen here — is still a pretty good excuse to throw bead necklaces. Gasparilla ’99 featured 120 floats and drew hundreds of thousands of spectators. About the only downside was the heat: 30 people were treated for dehydration or low blood sugar. • THE BEAD-EN PATH • TIMES ARCHIVES

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