TAMPA, Fla. — The city of Tampa is launching a new “Love your Park” campaign in response to an increase in people destroying property at city parks.
City leaders said since March, there’s been more than a dozen incidents at parks like Ballast Point Park in Tampa, where people have trashed restrooms, vandalized walls with graffiti, and set fires. The damage is costing taxpayers thousands of dollars.
The city said the money that was planned to be used for park upgrades and maintenance is now going into fixing what’s been destroyed.
People using the park said it’s not only hurting the park; it's also hurting the people who use it.
"It makes me sad especially because of all the amenities that are here for us to enjoy. It just makes me sad," said Netta Wheeler who was visiting Ballast Point Park with her grandkids.
The city is asking anyone who sees any damage or knows anything about who is doing it to call Tampa Police at 813-231-6130 to report it.
