Tampa's Citywide Curfew Has Officially Been Lifted

After violence was reported over the weekend at protests speaking out against the death of George Floyd, Tampa issued a citywide curfew on Sunday, May 31. Early this morning at 6 a.m., the Tampa curfew was lifted after protests subsided last night. The curfew only impacted the Tampa area and was not in effect for the remainder of Hillsborough county.

About 100 protesters peacefully tested the curfew's limits last night before it was lifted this morning.

According to WFLA, law enforcement announced the violation of curfew over a loudspeaker, giving the crowd five minutes to leave before they would push forward with arrests and physical removal.

Within 30 seconds, the protesters started to trickle out, leaving the streets quiet.

Tampa Bay 10 reported that after a peaceful Black Lives Matter march concluded on Sunday, some violent protestors took to the streets, closing down an intersection while setting tires on fire in the middle of the street.

It was reported that protestors met a line of policemen with bottles and rocks, and the situation de-escalated after police responded with smoke bombs, pepper spray, and rubber bullets. The streets were cleared by 8 p.m. Sunday night.

Sheriff Grady Judd of Polk County had issued their own curfew and cited reports of injuries to both citizens and police officers on Sunday evening.

Hillsborough County had a different experience, however, as Sheriff Chronister announced on Twitter that the county would not be enacting a curfew.

He said in his post that he did not feel it was right to punish law-abiding citizens for the actions of others.

Additional protests were seen over the weekend across Polk County, including Lakeland. St. Petersburg in Pinellas County also saw protests that carried over into Monday.

Tampa Bay 10 cites most protests as starting out peaceful. Saturday night ended with over 40 arrests, and 20 arrests were made on Sunday.

Mayor Jane Castor was quoted in the Tampa Bay 10 report saying the curfew, which applied to all people and businesses, was issued to keep people “safe and sound.”