The Hernando De Soto Historical Society announced that the two-time Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization will serve as the Grand Marshall of the 83 rd annual De Soto Heritage Festival Grand Parade presented by Cox Chevrolet and MOR-TV. The parade, featuring over 150 entries, draws beautifully decorated floats and krewes from throughout the United States and Canada and is one of the largest parades in Florida. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are two-time National Football League champions, most recently following the 2020 season. They became the first team to win the Super Bowl on their home field when they captured the 55 th edition of the game in February 2021 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The Buccaneers, owned by the Glazer family, and led by General Manager Jason Licht and Head Coach Todd Bowles, are also very active in the community, through the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation and the Glazer Vision Foundation. The Buccaneers’ 36 combined regular season and postseason victories over the last three seasons are the fourth-most in the NFL. During that span, Tampa Bay proved to be one of the most exciting and prolific teams in the league by leading the NFL in points scored (29.8 per game), passing yards (300.0 per game), and passing touchdowns (118). This past season, the Buccaneers were NFC South division champions and advanced to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.

The Hernando De Soto Historical Society, Inc. is a not-for-profit, community organization of 225 Conquistadors (volunteer members) who celebrate the historical significance of Spanish explorer
Hernando de Soto’s landing near the mouth of the Manatee River in May 1539. The Society produces Manatee County's largest entertainment events each year, attended by upwards of 280,000 guests, with proceeds supporting various local charities, providing college scholarships, funding a cultural museum in downtown Bradenton, and maintaining a Sister City relationship with Barcarrota, Spain. The parade will be held on Saturday, April 30, starting at 7:00pm and will march through the streets of downtown Bradenton.