The Hillsborough County Commission voted to give $45,000 to the Safe Summer Series, which is billed as a supervised alternative to teen takeovers.
Freddy Barton is executive director of Tampa-based community nonprofit, Safe and Sound Hillsborough, the series' lead organizer.
Other key partners include the youth-led Tampa Mentality, Tampa Parks and Recreation and the Tampa Police Department.
Barton told county commissioners Thursday the initiative aims to create structured, safe and healthy gathering places for teens.
"It's impossible to think our kids are always going to make the right decisions," Barton said. "We also know that our kids like several things. They like being together; they like sports, they like arts and — most importantly — they like likes, shares and views."
At this past Saturday's series kickoff, an estimated 300 teens played flag football and made crafts at the NFL Youth Education Center in East Tampa.
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Teen takeovers are a social media-fueled phenomenon, organized by Snapchat and TikTok users who post digital flyers with a location and time for young people to gather.
Barton acknowledged there's a long tradition of senior skip days and similar gatherings, but the scale of these mass meet-ups leaves more room for conflict among teens.
"You have hundreds of kids that don't know each other," Barton said. "They don't have the anger management or coping skills when tensions flare up. We understand that the pre-frontal lobe does not develop until age 25."
Safe and Sound is also launching a social media campaign, partnering with economically-disadvantaged seventh-graders at the Academy Prep Center of Tampa to promote positive messaging.
The series launches as law enforcement, city officials and neighborhood associations grapple with the prevalence of takeovers in Tampa Bay — and across the nation.
When such gatherings escalate, property damage, street blockages and even violence can occur.
On May 31, a Polk County 16-year-old shot and seriously injured a peer during a dispute at Clearwater Beach.
Earlier that month, Tampa Police arrested 22 tweens, teens and young adults after a takeover at the Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park downtown.
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In response, Safe and Sound Hillsborough partnered with local law enforcement on their "Responsibility Matters" curriculum. Young people arrested at Curtis Hixon will attend sessions on decision-making, substance abuse, and community responsibility.
"Over a six-week period, they're going to be in intense programming so we can get those charges mitigated or get these youth diverted out of the (criminal justice) system," Barton said at Thursday's board meeting.
Meanwhile, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier warned the state may charge teens taking part in takeovers with racketeering — a first-degree felony — and that participants are subject to anti-rioting laws.
Safe and Sound is planning three more events this summer, and Barton said the next one is slated to take place in the University area.
