TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The City of Tampa is launching expanded summer programming for teenagers this weekend, aiming to provide safe spaces for young people to gather following a recent spike in downtown “teen takeovers.”

City leaders said the free “Stay & Play” program is designed to keep teens engaged and off the streets after 22 teenagers were arrested during a recent downtown incident.

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The initiative was a partnership between the Tampa Police Department and the Tampa Parks and Recreation Department. Multiple recreation centers across the city will open Friday through Sunday nights with activities geared toward teens ages 13 to 19.

Officials said the centers will offer games, sports, free meals, and mentoring programs throughout the evening.

“We have teen spaces with our game consoles, PlayStation 5, Xboxes, board games,” said Jamal Jefferson, a supervisor with Tampa Parks and Recreation. “We have fitness rooms, we have a roving culinary program where kids learn about nutrition and budgeting and meal prep.”

Expanded holiday weekend hours will run from 6 p.m. until 11 p.m. at five Tampa recreation centers before the full summer program launches across nine sites next week.

City leaders said the effort is also a direct response to recent teen gatherings that have caused safety concerns downtown.

“With the teen takeovers, we’re seeing they want to hang out,” Jefferson said. “They want to gather, so our goal is to give them a safe, fun space to do that.”

A free teen recreation card is required for participation. Officials said the program is intended to give parents peace of mind, with staff members, mentors, and police officers on-site throughout the evening.

“It’s going to be a long, hot summer,” Jefferson said. “There’s a lot of alternatives to being productive, but we wanted to come here and do our safe, supervised spaces and have a little bit of fun.”

The program runs from May 22 through August 8. Visit here to learn more about the program.

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