Tampa RV SuperShow Is A Go

We won’t be at the Tampa RV SuperShow this year. Surprised that they are still going to run it during a global pandemic. Will they attract the same crowds?

Florida government officials could possibly be in a state of denial about the severity of the pandemic:

Florida police raided the home of a former state coronavirus data scientist on Monday, escalating a feud between the state government and a data expert who has accused officials of trying to cover up the extent of the pandemic.

The data scientist, Rebekah Jones, was fired in May.

Rebekah Jones said in an email to CBS12 News that her removal was “not voluntary” and that she was removed from her position because she was ordered to censor some data, but refused to “manually change data to drum up support for the plan to reopen.”

And the latest COVID-19 stats from the Tampa Bay Times:

Florida added 9,592 coronavirus cases and 89 deaths Wednesday, bringing the total numbers of deaths since March to 19,716.

The state has reported about 9,315 cases and 101 deaths each day on average this week, according to the Florida Department of Health.

More than 1 million Floridians have been infected during the pandemic. Florida has the third-highest number of cases in the country. It trails behind Texas, with more than 1.2 million cases, and California with over 1.3 million cases.

No better time, I suppose, to run an event that usually attracts about 75,000 people. Keeping people six feet apart in a motorhome will be an interesting trick. I would expect long waits to walk through the coaches on display. Unless very few people show up. Which I doubt.

Up here in the frozen Great White North, we can’t legally gather more than 100 people at an organized outdoor event. Not that we would want to be outside for any length of time in the winter.

Same pandemic. Different rules.

Here is the press release on the RV SuperShow.

While the Florida RV Trade Association (FRVTA) Board of Directors voted to cancel Industry Day at the 2021 Florida RV SuperShow set for next month, the five public days of the show will still take place as scheduled Jan. 13-17 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa.

“We’ve had a number of exhibitors request extra time to set up,” said FRVTA Show Director Lesa Colvin. “Plus, the extra day will give us more time to get ready for the five pubic days. We will be instituting a lot of new measures to make sure the show is a clean and safe environment for the public as well as our exhibitors”.

Holding the show with COVID-19 prompted some changes for this year’s “Tampa Show.” Temperature checks will be done on all exhibitors and attendees. Masks will be required inside the buildings and RVs (Hillsborough County Mandate). Sanitizer and wash stations will be located throughout the show. Social distancing will be enforced and both supplier buildings and RVs will be sanitized nightly and cleaned on a regular basis during the show.

FRVTA Executive Director Dave Kelly said it was a tough decision to cancel Industry Day but the board did what they thought was the right thing. “I hope everyone can understand this is not a typical year, we are concentrating all of our efforts into holding the most successful public show we can. Any extra time we can have to make sure we are ready to welcome the public is appreciated this year.”

I suspect most of my friends in Florida will stay pretty close to their coaches for the most part and avoid the show.

From what I can tell, the Newmar Rally at the Tampa SuperShow is still a go. Except that there won’t be any Newmar service technicians in attendance. Can’t have the service techs getting infected.

As for the Newmar Kountry Klub folks decision to still run with the Tampa rally, well, they do ask you to sign a disclaimer:

All persons attending a Klub rally must agree to this disclaimer in order to participate. I/We agree, in consideration for being able to participate in the described Newmar Kountry Klub activity, to release and to indemnify and hold harmless Newmar Kountry Klub, its Directors and Officers and Newmar Corporation, its officers and employees, from all liability for injury or damages to my person or property, or the property of persons who accompany me to this activity. With knowledge of the type of risk or harm which might occur at such activity, I sign this release and indemnity as part of my application. All adult members & their guests must sign and in so doing, assume all responsibility for minors in their care.