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Jacksonville Emerges as the Front Runner to Host the Republican National Convention
June 10, 2020
According to reports by News4JAX, Jacksonville, FL is now the front runner to host the RNC Nominating Convention being moved out of Charlotte, NC.
The head of the Republican Party of Duval County said Wednesday it’s a matter of “days if not hours” before we’ll know if Jacksonville will be the substitute host for some or all of the August convention where Donald Trump will accept his party’s nomination for a second term.
National Party Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said reports of a final decision were ‘definitely premature,” but she made clear that Jacksonville is the favorite now that Charlotte, North Carolina, the official host of this summer’s Republican National Convention, has balked on promising Trump a full-blown convention free from social distancing measures during the coronavirus pandemic.
“There’s a couple more things we need to do before we can announce that, but Jacksonville is absolutely in the front-running position,” McDaneil said in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
Trump has made clear he no longer intends to hold the convention’s marquee event — his acceptance speech — in Charlotte. But much of the party’s more mundane business, including discussions over the platform, are still expected to be held in Charlotte because of contractual obligations.
“We are going to keep our convention of, the business of the convention in Charlotte. That is for sure. It’s going to be smaller and scaled-down. And then we are looking for a different city for a celebration,” McDaniel explained.
But several Republicans familiar with the negotiations stressed that no final decision had yet been made about where the convention will be move
“Several cities are still being considered,” said Emma Vaughn, a Florida-based spokesperson for the Republican National Committee. She said that convention officials were touring Phoenix; Savannah, Georgia; Dallas; and Jacksonville this week and “have been in conversations with several other potential locations.”
“While no final decision has been made by the RNC we understand Jacksonville is a front runner,” the chairperson of the Republican Party of Florida, Joe Gruters, said in a tweet. “This certainly has been generating a lot of attention and excitement. We continue to believe that Florida would be the best place for the Convention.”
Jacksonville GOP Chairman Dean Black was every optimistic the convention with thousands of delegates, media and support staff might come here.
“We are ecstatic the Republican National Committee sees what we do in Jacksonville,” Black said. “While we understand the final decision on a convention location has not yet been made, we are excited for the possibility of hosting our great President and Republican leaders. Reaching this stage of the process would not have been possible without the leadership of Gov. DeSantis, Mayor Curry, Sheriff Williams, and many others. Jacksonville holds the privilege of being the largest Republican-controlled city. We hope to show the rest of the country the benefits of Republican governance.”
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that three Republican officials confirmed that Republicans have tentatively settled on Jacksonville as the new destination for the GOP’s premier festivities.
Greater Jacksonville has a population of about 1.5 million. Mayor Len Curry is a former chairperson of the state Republican Party, and the area is the home base of GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, a key Trump ally. Florida’s prize of 29 electoral votes is considered crucial to Trump’s bid for a second term, which could factor into the party’s calculations.
The Party’s party could generate at least $100 million in revenues for the host city, perhaps more.
Reports said RNC aides are scrambling to determine whether Jacksonville has enough hotel rooms to accommodate the event, which typically kicks off the final stretch of the presidential campaign. It would take significant work to make the convention happen. Estimates show the event could draw 50,000 visitors with a potential $100 million economic impact.
The RNC said it expects about 20,000 people for the convention, and the head of Visit Jacksonville believes the city could handle the crowds.
According to our count, Duval County has 18,000 hotel rooms. Of the eight hotels downtown and on the Southbank, there are more than 2,300 rooms.
There are currently no reservations available at the Omni and Hyatt Regency in downtown Jacksonville during the week of the RNC in August.
Georgia and Florida’s governors have been courting GOP and White House officials since it became clear that North Carolina and the party were not seeing eye to eye on the convention and coronavirus precautions in the city of Charlotte.
Curry said previously the recent success of the UFC event at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena shows the city can have a large event and keep people safe from the novel coronavirus.
More than 5,000 people have signed a petition to keep the RNC out of Jacksonville. Some residents are concerned not only by the thousands of delegates and other people covering the convention but the possibility of protesters from all over America descending on the city.
Black said that shouldn’t be a concern, saying that Jacksonville will tolerate protests but won’t tolerate lawlessness.
“We’re going to show them how this is done, and if they want good governance, too, all they have to do is vote Republican,” he said.
This is a reposting of an article originally posted by News4JAX.com.
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June 7, 2020 Dear Friends, As always, thank you for allowing me to bring you this brief update on what was a very productive week. Serving you and your loved ones in Congress is a privilege! I would like to start by thanking the thousands of district residents who joined our telephone town-hall on Monday evening. These conversations are one more opportunity for me to hear directly from you! As we kicked off the month of June, one my top priorities remains ensuring our district, state and country quickly recover from the economic impact left by COVID-19. Having proposed the ‘Great American Comeback‘ recovery plan a few weeks back, I again hit the road and crisscrossed our district to visit with small businesses, talk to constituents, and most importantly, turn their feedback into actions in my congressional work.
As the ‘Paycheck Protection Program‘ (PPP) program was being rolled-out, I heard from small business owners and employees that they needed additional flexibility to ensure continued business operations, I took that back to Washington, and got it done. This week, President Trump signed H.R. 7010, the ‘PPP’ Flexibility Act into law, and I am proud to have lent my voice in bill negotiations to reflect what I heard in our district. As the only Floridian on the House Small Business Committee, I have fought hard for this program, and it is working! On Friday, the Labor Department reported that our country added back 2.5 million jobs, as states have begun opening up their economies. I remain confident that getting our economy back on track can be done quickly and efficiently by continuing implementing common-sense, pro-family, pro-business policies, like the ‘PPP’. This program kept millions of businesses afloat, safeguarding job positions for employees and income revenues for American families. I have no doubt that the ‘Great American Comeback is around the corner and that the best is yet to come! Speaking of getting people back to work, I proudly cosponsored H.R. 7044, the ‘No Pay for Proxy Voting Act’, which would withhold pay from Members of Congress who do not return to D.C. to vote in person. This in addition to joining a lawsuit on May 27th, 2020, questioning the constitutionality of this ‘vote by proxy’ scheme. Asking the American people to safely return to work, while some Members of Congress stay home and collect a paycheck is hypocritical. It is also wrong to take the voice and vote of millions of Americans and put it in the hands of just a few members. This may sit well with Speaker Pelosi, but not with me.
On Thursday of this week, I joined Newsradio WFLA to discuss not only my small business tour, but also PHASE 2 of Florida’s reopening, which by Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Wednesday. It is important to remember that as our state takes an important step towards reopening, observing social distancing recommendations and practicing good hygiene procedures will remain important. For your convenience, you can find all the information you need regarding PHASE 2 here. As always I invite you to follow me on Facebook, Twitter or visit my website where I am always posting the latest news and updates as they become available. |
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Starting Friday, June 5, 2020, Florida counties (excluding Miami- Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties) enter Phase 2 of the Plan for Florida’s Recovery.
Could the Republican National Convention Happen in Orlando? DeSantis Calls It “Logical”
June 4, 2020 Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday , he has spoken with Republican Party leadership about relocating the party’s summer convention to Orlando.
The City Beautiful is rumored to be among several cities being considered, including Jacksonville, Florida; Nashville, Tennessee; and Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Republican National Convention is scheduled to happen in August in Charlotte, North Carolina, which hosted the Democratic National Convention in 2012, but tensions have grown between the GOP and North Carolina state leaders because of coronavirus restrictions on fully utilizing the arena.
President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday that North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, was forcing the GOP to “seek another state to host” the convention. With the president now threatening to relocate the convention, other states are now scrambling to pitch hosting the event. DeSantis told reporters Wednesday that Orlando would be a “logical location.”
A convention in Orlando would be a bit of a homecoming for President Trump. He hosted his re-election campaign launch rally June 18, 2019 at Amway Center in Downtown Orlando.
Charles Hart, Chairman of Orange County Republicans, said with the political and electoral weight carried in Central Florida, Orlando is a more logical pick to relocate the convention. “Not only could it be good strategy, by getting to know voters you need to win, beyond strategy it makes common sense,”
Hart continued by saying that despite the short timing, he is confident that Orlando could pull it off. “We are the City Beautiful, so Orlando is internationally known for its hospitality, for its hotels, for its food, for its entertainment, and for its people,” All attributes that are in full supply and low demand, perhaps making Orlando even more enticing to a sudden large event.
Spokespersons for the city of Orlando and Orange County say they have not been approached by GOP representatives about hosting the event.
A great victory for our 2nd Amendment rights! Today, June 4, the Florida Supreme Court rejected the “assault weapons ban” for being misleading
Starting Friday, June 5, 2020, Florida counties (excluding Miami- Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties) enter Phase 2 of the Plan for Florida’s Recovery.
