Everyone needs a foil, and right now for St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman — an avid parking respecter — it’s clearly whoever keeps spraying foam sealant directly into St. Petersburg’s parking meters.
For the past two weeks, there have been three separate foaming incidents, resulting in a total of 74 foamed meters and up to $12,000 in damages.
Summoning his inner Beer Baron, Mayor Kriseman took to Twitter last night to announce to his constituents that he will hunt down these foam-wielding parking meter haters. “A message to the vandal(s): We will find you. We will prosecute you,” tweeted the mayor.
A message to the vandal(s): We will find you. We will prosecute you. https://t.co/JcRfi2kssB
— Rick Kriseman (@Kriseman) November 6, 2019
Surprisingly no one tweeted back, “No you won’t.”
So far, authorities don’t seem to have any leads (maybe it’s in response to the city ending free parking on weekends?), but in terms of public perception this is a pivotal moment for the mayor. Similar to when former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn famously stated “Bring me his head on a platter” in response to the Seminole Heights serial killer, Kriseman is now letting everyone know he’s tough on parking-related shenanigans.
Nobody disrespects parking meters in the 'Burg.
Follow @cl_tampabay on Twitter to get the most up-to-date news + views. Subscribe to our newsletter, too.
