City Of Tampa Doesn't Want Caches In Its Parks

[+sylvar]

I just talked to a City of Tampa parks department employee and he said that they don't want geocaches in their parks because they're not comfortable setting a precedent of allowing private individuals to leave objects in a city park.

 

If you know of any caches hidden in City of Tampa Parks, please inform the maintainers that I've been told the caches are not welcome.

[rynd]

A vision of thing to come?

[+reepicheep]

Their right to do so.

 

If you live in the area, just make sure not to vote for any local option sales taxes or for any legislation that would improve the parks.

Then make sure you let your local reps know why you won't be voting for them or the line items.

 

Remember that if they specifically don't want physical caches, you can make a multi-cache that takes people through the park and off to somewhere else for the final.

 

Kenneth

Edited August 25, 2005 by kennethpruett

[MapheadMike]

With all due respect to the OP, did the park employee have the authority to declare such a ban? "Parks Department employee" could mean a gate attendant upset because a cacher stayed a few minutes beyond a park closing time.

 

In just a couple of minutes surfing, I found a few caches in relevant parks placed in '03 and a couple of major media (SP Times in 11/03 and Channel 10 in 4/05) stories on geocaching. It's tough to imagine a ban coming now with caching so well established in that park system, so hopefully the OP will forgive being asked for additional details.

[the federation]

As the Volunteer Cache Approver for the State of Florida I will follow up on this incident. I have asked Sylvar to contact me with the details of the incident so I or the Florida Geocachers Assoc. Can follow up with the appopiate authorties. If anyone else has any first hand knowledge of this incident please contact me at my email adress:

floridacacher@yahoo.com

[+Snoogans]

As the Volunteer Cache Approver for the State of Florida I will follow up on this incident. I have asked Sylvar to contact me with the details of the incident so I or the Florida Geocachers Assoc. Can follow up with the appopiate authorties. If anyone else has any first hand knowledge of this incident please contact me at my email adress:

floridacacher@yahoo.com

Fed. You know me and I drove alllllll the way to Florida to HUNT CACHES @ GWIII. That's the ONLY reason I was there. I spent about $900+ while I was in Jacksonville. Guess I won't be going to Tampa on the next trip. Tell 'em that.

 

Geo-Tourism was the FIRST thing my park director wanted to know about. Maybe the public schools are better here in the Armpit of the Universe.

[+jimanda]

My dad-in-law lives in Colorado Springs, and they have the same rule up there. No caches in city parks. I never understood this. Unless cachers are tearing up large chunks of land looking for the item, I can't see the harm.

[+Renegade Knight]

My dad-in-law lives in Colorado Springs, and they have the same rule up there. No caches in city parks. I never understood this. Unless cachers are tearing up large chunks of land looking for the item, I can't see the harm.

It's a harmless activity, especially compaired to the ones that don't advertise what they do in parks.

[MapheadMike]

Fed, Update?

[+Jester2112]

A post dated 09/07/05 from the forum at our favorite FL geocaching website, www.floridacaching.com, and a new member - canoegoddess - who contacted the parks service in Tampa, FL:

 

"I heard back from Tampa Parks

It seems they no longer want geocaches hid in their parks. .

The offical word is as follows:

"I have been advised that the Tampa Parks & Recreation Department does not allow the public to leave items in any park no matter how harmless they may seem."

So any local cachers that want to change the Tampa Park's policy should probably get with the federation on this. I'll do what I can, but I think a little more established local cacher could be much more effective."

 

Not good news, however, we're at the starting point of becoming more organized so that as an organization and not individuals, we can do what we can to project ourselves and our sport in as positive a light as possible in the hopes of enlightening folks like the ones who've made this unfortunate decision. Wish us luck.

[+canoe_goddess]

Luckily the County park system welcomes us to place caches uninhibited. So I'm hiding stuff in the one close to my place, and I hope the other local cachers will follow suit.

 

We'll just send all our donations to the supportive county parks system which seem to be maintained better anyway.

[+Yuzawa Kat]

I've been following this from a different angle because one of my City of Tampa caches, Survivor Tampa, may have been GeoMuggled, but may also have been the victim of a zealous Parks employee trashing it. Put a call into the Exec Director, a serious City of Tampa Powers-That-Be personage. When in doubt, start at the top.

 

Got a return call from a slightly lesser City of Tampa Parks & Rec PTB. Unfortunately, she expressed surprise and no knowledge of any adverse policy towards GXing within their department. She pledged to take it up at her departmental meeting that afternoon and send out some feelers as to where and who the beef is with so she can help us get this straightened out. I am being cautiously optimistic. If anyone out there knows more details, please send me an e-mail through GC.com. Sylvar, Canoe Goddess, we need a name or at least a park's name for the original contact. Thanks for any insight and help you can lend.

Edited October 6, 2005 by Yuzawa Kat

[+BackBrakeBilly]

We recently went through about the same thing here in Hamilton County Tennessee. Seems that because the parks department was not contacted before caches started being placed in the parks they didn't want any part of it but after several local cachers set up a meeting with the parks department they are now open to caching in all the County parks! Communication does work or at least most of the time. Good luck!

[+AB4N]

Their objection is not hard to understand because it is based on lack of information. But leaders of a local or state organization should be able to work something out. One strong point that many park managers have learned to appreciate about geocaching is that good wholesome activity makes less opportunity for riff raff.