SARASOTA -- Most local fireworks shows have been canceled because of the pandemic and budget cuts. Friday night's show at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota is one of the few still planned on Florida's west coast.
Steven Rodriguez heads the group that runs the park... which is planning a drive-in fireworks show with social distancing. The park is selling tickets to its 1200 or so parking spaces at $15 apiece. Rodriguez expects the show to be a sellout.
Rodriguez said that when COVID-19 became an issue, they thought about their options, and decided that decided they really wanted to give something to the community that would "bring us back to normalcy."
Since they started selling tickets, the park and its managing organization, SANCA, says about 25 percent of the tickets have been sold outside the Sarasota area. The visibility is expected to be about six or seven miles, depending on direction.
The gates open at 7 pm Friday, with the fireworks show starting at 9.
Music for the fireworks will be simulcast on iHeartRadio’s WSDV Kiss-FM 103.9 (link to listen here):
WWSB-TV (ABC 7) will stream the fireworks live and play the show back at 8 pm on the 4th over-the-air.
More information at this link:
Listen to an interview with Steven Rodriguez
Photo: Getty Images