Police and Security Have Florida Theme Park Locked down After Threat of Another Violent ‘Takeover'

Last week, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay saw a massive “takeover” of its property. These “takeovers” are orchestrated events that encourage guests to “bring the drama” and encourage them to fight with each other.

Fight yesterday at @BuschGardens during the so called "takeover" pic.twitter.com/UvU93iy6Yv

— Jake Coasters (@jake_coasters) June 29, 2024

Related: Emergency Update: Another Violent “Takeover” Coming to Florida Theme Park

And that’s precisely what they got. A massive fight broke out in the middle of the day at Busch Gardens, with security and police working to clear the scene. Reports even began to circulate on social media that someone brought a gun into the theme park.

The massive fight was posted on TikTok and quickly spread to other social media outlets. With the infamy this “takeover” received, the organizers promptly took to social media, encouraging followers to head to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay on the Fourth of July and July 6 for another “takeover.”

But Busch Garden’s fans weren’t having it. They, too, saw these posts and immediately alerted law enforcement and the park’s security team that these events were coming on one of the year’s biggest weekends.

One X (formerly Twitter) user @jake_coasters, who has been instrumental in rallying the Busch Gardens community to action, received a message from the security team assuring him that the parks would be much safer this weekend.

Busch Gardens and Tampa PD has reached out to several of us to ensure proactive steps have been taken to keep everyone safe this weekend. Remember if you see something, say something. Rule #5 https://t.co/lXMhPOhUV6

— Jake Coasters (@jake_coasters) July 3, 2024

The response read:

Thank you for reaching out. Out of an abundance of caution, we have proactively partnered with local law enforcement to have an increased presence in the park. The safety of our guests and employees is our highest priority and we want everyone to have a safe and fun day. 

Shortly after that post, one guest who had been at Busch Gardens earlier that day responded by saying that Tampa Police and park security were out in force and that new security precautions were being taken at the entry line to ensure no one got in with any weapons.

The group behind the original Busch Gardens “takeover” posted two more announcements using photos from Busch Gardens and Adventure Island to alert guests precisely what would be happening at the parks on those days.

Everyone report this page on Instagram, several of us have reported this to the park. Let's make sure they understand we're not going to deal with it. pic.twitter.com/L3l8NmvfmI

— Jake Coasters (@jake_coasters) June 30, 2024

It seems counterproductive to post precisely when and where you plan on breaking the law before you actually do it. This will hopefully allow Tampa Police and Busch Garden’s security to prepare for these types of disturbances.

Tampa Police continue their investigation into the first fight and are asking anyone with information or a video from that day to contact them. This will hopefully be the last we hear of “takeovers” at local theme parks.

What should Busch Gardens do to protect guests from these “takeovers?”