“This isn’t how we should be celebrating the Super Bowl. It’s not safe or smart. It’s stupid.”
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That’s how St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman opened up a scathing tweet as he shared a link to a story about 50 Cent hosting a large party with many maskless attendees. “We’re going to take a very close look at this, and it may end up costing someone a lot more than 50 cent,” he added.
The Super Bowl festivities kicked off early in the weekend and 50 Cent wasn’t alone in hosting a party that caught the attention of Tampa officials. Steve Aoki headlined a party at the WTR Tampa Pool inside the Godfrey Waterfront Hotel.
Video from the event shows a tightly packed crowd, most of whom weren’t wearing masks. At one point in the video, Aoki heads to the front of the crowd where he pours champagne in concertgoers mouths.
50 Cent’s party took place inside a private airport hangar at the Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petersburg. TMZ obtained a few photos from the event and reported that attendees were required to wear masks and practice social distancing during the party. Despite the regulations put in place, TMZ says partygoers flaunted the rules as not many masks were seen at the event.
On Saturday night, 50 Cent and Diplo both performed at the WTR Tampa Pool at the Godfrey Hotel as 2,000 people reportedly attended the event.
Once again, procedures that were put in place ahead of the event to ensure safety were hardly followed. "Social distancing procedures will be strictly enforced, face masks will be required for all staff & guests, wellness and temperature checks will be mandatory for entrance, sanitizing stations will be placed throughout the venue, and continued cleaning protocols will provide regular sanitizing,”TMZ reports on pre-event guidelines.
As COVID-19 and its new variants continue to spread across the country, the Tampa police department expressed frustration over the events that took place this past weekend.
“Scenes from WTR last night and a few other clubs were incredibly disappointing. The city spent the better part of a year educating residents on precautions due to the pandemic and have recently put a mask order in place for both the entertainment and event zones to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors to our great city,” they told TMZ.
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