Annual Fourth of July events in the city of Naples are still scheduled for now.
The Naples City Council voted Wednesday to hold off on making a decision about the city-sponsored Fourth of July parade and fireworks until later dates.
The city council voted to postpone a decision on canceling the Independence Day parade until a city council meeting on June 3.
The council voted to delay a decision on canceling the Fourth of July fireworks until a city workshop scheduled for May 18. Additionally, the council asked city staff to negotiate with contractor Zambelli Fireworks for extra time to make a decision by early June without facing any financial penalties if Naples cancels the event.
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The city pays a total of about $60,000 for both the fireworks and the barge from which the fireworks are lit near the Naples Pier. The city’s contract with Zambelli Fireworks says Naples would incur no charges if the event is canceled on or before May 19, according to a city memo about the event.
Under the current contract, the city would have to pay about $45,000 for the cost of the barge and half the cost of the fireworks if the event is canceled on or after June 4, according to a city memo.
Other city expenses tied to the parade and fireworks include costs for staffing police, EMTs and cleaning crews, according to a city memo.
Vice Mayor Terry Hutchison said he would like to see the fireworks company work with the city, so that Naples could arrive at a decision in June without any financial penalties. The city is in an unusual position with the Fourth of July events because of the coronavirus pandemic, Hutchison said.
“We all agree that we’re in unique circumstances here that we couldn’t have envisioned when we signed this contract in the first place,” Hutchison said.
Councilman Gary Price said the city should cancel the fireworks if the company is not willing to give the city more time. The city is not in a position to put people at risk to the coronavirus, Price said.
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“If they’re not, I don’t think we should proceed,” he said. “I don’t think we have enough data to support having those events today.”
Both Independence Day events bring large crowds to the city, according to a city memo about the events. The parade, which is held in the morning on the Fourth of July, draws about 10,000 people to downtown Naples while the annual fireworks show in the evening can draw around 25,000 to the Naples beaches and Gulf of Mexico.
Across the country, large-scale events have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Some events canceled in Naples include the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in March. The Great Dock Canoe Race, the annual end-of-tourist-season event, was canceled in April.
Brittany Carloni is the city of Naples reporter at the Naples Daily News. Support her work by subscribing to our local news organization. Find her on Twitter as @CarloniBrittany.
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