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Tampa, FL: Top Things to Know About Storage

Lubabah Memon | March 20, 2016 @ 7:11 PM

Let the Events Begin

Storage facilities in Tampa are busy year round because of multiple reasons.  They are busy in the spring because of multiple events in the area, in the summer because of the thousands of students that store their stuff when they go home for the break, and in the winter because of boat and RV storage.  The latter two seasons make sense, but why are storage facilities busy when there are local events?  Let’s explain.

The year starts off with a bang with the Gasparilla Distance Classic taking place on a weekend at the end of February.  This event is a marathon with 5k and 15k races that take place throughout the area.  It’s very common for there to be multiple road closures a few days leading up to this weekend, and of course, on the weekend itself.  Be mindful of this event, because if you need to get to your storage unit to get your fishing gear, you’re going to have to plan around this event and the road closures and traffic caused by it.

After this event begins the month of March, which is an extremely busy time of the year.  There are three major festivals that take place in the first two weeks of March, and all of them entail hosts that need to put their preparation materials in storage in the weeks leading up to the events.

Beer, Beer, and More Beer

For starters, let’s talk about Tampa Bay Beer Week.  This event takes place in the first week of March and is sponsored by local brewers and vendors.  It is essentially a week-long celebration of local and imported beers.  This week is full of festivals, beer dinners and brunches, tastings, food trucks, and special bottle releases, to name a few.  There are hundreds of events that take place during this week on both sides of the bay, meaning that it is spread out over the city.  All of these vendors need to store their things, especially their beer, in storage facilities in the area in preparation for the event.  Be aware that a lot of climate controlled units will be taken up during the beginning of the year to accommodate for this beer fest, so if you’re looking for one for your antiques, try to find one by the time February starts so you’re not out of luck.

You should also be wary of traffic being backed up on Interstate 4 during the days of the festival, and temporary street closures.  If you need to get to your storage unit during these days, plan ahead and try to beat traffic so a short trip to your unit doesn’t turn into a day’s ordeal.

Exquisite Art

Hosts of the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts are also prepping for their two day event that takes place at the beginning of March while Tampa Bay Beer Week is going on.  This event also takes place in downtown and is a showcase of artists that live in and around Tampa.  During these two days, they also have live entertainment, food, drinks, art, and children’s events.  If you haven’t already guessed, you should know that you’ll be missing out on more opportunities to store in a climate controlled unit.  Art and drinks need to be stored at low temperatures, even if it is for a day, so that Tampa’s heat and humidity don’t destroy them.  The people setting up live entertainment and children’s events will also need some storage space to store their speaker systems and crayons, so facilities will be filling up pretty quickly.

Delectable Strawberries

Last but not least is the Florida Strawberry Festival, which is an 11 day event at (yes, you got it right) the beginning of March.  This annual festival is filled with delicious strawberries and shortcake, concerts, rides, stage shows, food, exhibits, contests and competitions.  There are also parades with floats and marching bands.  We bet the 112 storage facilities that Tampa has to offer are not seeming to be enough now, are they?  All of these vendors and entertainers need storage space near the festival grounds to keep their belongings so that they can set up for this event, which means less storage space available to the public.

Given the plethora of events that take place in the beginning of the year in Tampa, particularly at the beginning of March, we recommend that if you need storage space in the beginning of the year, get it quickly.  Also, if you know that you will be visiting your unit frequently, try to avoid storing in a facility that’s in or around downtown so the traffic caused by these events doesn’t hinder access to your unit.

Weather and Storage

Tampa has a humid subtropical climate, which means warm and humid summers, frequent thunderstorms, and dry winters with freezing temperatures.  Summer in Tampa usually lasts from mid May to mid October.  During these months, it’s super hot, humid, and it’s rainy season.  Two-thirds of annual rainfall happens during this time, so there’s almost a daily chance of afternoon thundershowers, which entail heavy rain and lightning.  It can be hard to plan a trip to your storage unit in which you can remain dry when it’s likely to be raining every day.  To simplify things, we recommend that you opt for a storage facility that has covered loading and unloading zones so that you can access your unit without being drenched.

You should also store your things in climate controlled units so that your belongings are protected from damage from the high heat and humidity in the region. And lastly, try to store things more inland because the proximity of Tampa to the ocean makes your items more susceptible to damage by the high salt content in its air.

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