The pirates invaded Lykes Gaslight Park in downtown Tampa Tuesday.
They demanded that mayor Bob Buckhorn hand over the key to the city. Of course, he refused.
It's the yearly theatrics that herald the annual Gasparilla event, a part of Tampa since 1904. It takes place this Saturday.
Buckhorn says Gasparilla has grown into a major event in the southeastern U.S., attracted as many as 300,000 people.
The flotilla and Jose Gasparilla make their way up Seddon Channel at 11 a.m. The invasion takes place at 1 p.m. at the Tampa Convention center. Then, at 2 p.m. , it's the big Gasparilla parade, which starts at Bay to Bay and Bayshore Boulevards and makes its way up Bayshore to downtown Tampa.