After organizers of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Naples canceled the event due to rising security costs, the Naples Police Department sent out a “community message” to explain itself.
Costs have risen because the city has ramped up its security requirements for special events, especially outdoor events, such as parades, due to modern day threats.
The department cited threats and attacks that have led the city to rethink its “mitigation plans” for events, based on national standards and best practices.
Those threats and attacks include a deadly terrorist attack on New Year’s Day in 2025, when a man intentionally drove a rented pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, and a politically motivated truck explosion in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on the same day.
“Today, incidents often involve lone actors or small networks radicalized online, as exemplified by the Bourbon Street and Trump Hotel attacks from 2025,” the community message stated. “These perpetrators exploit decentralized platforms, making threats more unpredictable and challenging to counter.”
The four-page security briefing acknowledges the city’s “small-town charm,” but emphasizes that charm doesn’t make it safe.
“Over the past decade, the United States has experienced a surge in high-profile violent incidents, revealing the evolving challenges facing local governments and police departments (specific to open public events,” the message emphasizes.
The message continues: “These incidents, ranging from targeted attacks on individuals to mass shootings and ideologically driven violence, highlight systemic vulnerabilities, which demand innovative strategies to mitigate risk; and courageous decisions to adjust/adapt to the real-world threats in the face of pushbacks.”
The city’s new safety requirements include more police staffing and more barricades as “staples” to protect the public.
“The phrases ‘we have always done it this way’ or ‘this is Naples, nothing ever happens’ or ‘security is too much’ are not real strategies and ultimately leave attendees vulnerable,” the department states.
Further the briefing states, “The Naples Police Department prioritizes the welfare, security/safety, and trust of the community above all; and because of that, we ask event promoters to recognize the realities of this era we live in.”
The police department has been asking all promoters of open-air events to use the Archer-style vehicle barricades at all access points, which could have prevented the deadly New Orleans truck attack a little over a year ago. While some promoters have understood and complied with the new requirements, others have pushed back or complained about the increased costs.
“Most understand that it is the cost of doing business,” the briefing states.
The community message followed an announcement about the cancellation of the privately-funded Naples St. Patrick’s Day Parade this year — and possibly forever — on Jan. 21.
The cancellation came hours after city council denied a request by the event’s organizers to waive city fees, and to help offset the rising cost of more barricades.
In making the announcement, Kim Heaslip, president of the Naples St. Patrick’s Day Foundation Inc., said: “We were enthusiastically preparing to celebrate the 50th Annual Naples St. Patrick’s Day Parade when we were recently informed that municipal fees imposed by the City of Naples — combined with newly required full-route barricade and enforcement costs — have increased to a level that our small, volunteer-led organization can no longer sustain. City fees have grown from under $4,000 10 years ago to $25,000. Last year, our barricade fee was under $5,000 and would have increased to $42,000 in 2026.”
After word spread about the cancellation of the beloved city event, new private donors stepped up to help fund it this year, including Gary Price, a former city councilman, and Naples billionaire David Hoffmann. An official decision had yet to be made by the foundation’s board on whether to revive it, however (as of noon Friday).
In its community message, the department said it would not use its vehicles for barricades, and that the cost of the barricades should be on the shoulders of event organizers, or private sponsors.
The department stressed that it must prioritize the welfare, security/safety and trust of the community above financial considerations, and pointed out that security and safety costs have risen, just like insurance, medical and other costs have gone up over the past few years.
“Specifically, related to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, all the police department has requested is crowd safety barricades to ensure attendees are safe. The same request was made for the Christmas Parade, and the barricades were in place this past year,” the message states.
The briefing included a photo of the 2024 Christmas parade, showing attendees pouring into the streets as floats, bands and vehicles were moving because there weren’t effective barricades, and one from the 2025 parade, where attendees were contained by the newly required ones. This parade is sponsored by the city, so it bears the cost.
In the future, the police department stated that it hoped the city would have the “safety infrastructure” in place, including the installation of bollards, in areas that host open-air events on a “more permanent basis,” to help it better prepare for the crowds and prevent mass casualties.
In conclusion, the briefing stated: “Mass open-air gatherings are vulnerable to attacks and are considered soft targets with potential to inflict high numbers of casualties; Cambier Park, Fifth Avenue South, Third Street South, have many large gatherings throughout the year with attendees into the thousands.”
Traditionally, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade has started near St. Ann’s Church, turned north onto Third Street South, then east onto Fifth Avenue South, before finishing up near city hall on Eighth Street South. The parade has been recognized as one of the largest privately funded ones in the state, attracting more than 40,000 spectators.
Laura Layden is business and government reporter. Reach her at laura.layden@naplesnews.com.
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This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: St. Patrick’s Parade: Naples police explain higher costs for events
Reporting by Laura Layden, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
