TRUMP PENCE JULY-18-21 2016 at QUICKEN LOANS ARENA CLEVELAND OHIO
June 15. Jacksonville, Fla. Mayor Lenny Curry is promising a “full arena” for the Republican National Convention in August. “We’re not going to operate out of fear. We are going to operate out of data, science, and get people back to work in a responsible way. And that’s what this convention is,” Curry said.
The quadrennial confab is meeting in Jacksonville, not Charlotte, after a unanimous vote by the RNC executive committee, members of which blame NC Gov. Roy Cooper for refusing to guarantee a full-capacity convention at the Spectrum Center.
“Not only does Florida hold a special place in President Trump’s heart as his home state, but it is crucial in the path to victory in 2020,” RNC committee chair Ronna McDaniel said.
All this is happening amidst coronavirus infections on the upswing in several states, including Arizona, Florida, North Carolina and Texas.
Nevertheless, Charlotte 2020 organizers say the cost to the Charlotte economy is expected to be somewhere north of $100 million.
Litigation coming?
Of course, this doesn’t sit well with the Charlotte 2020 Host Committee. They issued this statement over the weekend:
“Our good faith efforts to carry out our obligations under agreements made two years ago have been met with broken promises and disregard of the significant commitment from many partners across our region.”
Meanwhile, the City of Charlotte is put out as well. Their statement:
“The City believes it is in the parties’ best interest to immediately unwind the agreements among them and hold the RNC accountable to fulfill all its outstanding obligations to the parties and make them whole.”
Only the first day of the scheduled four-day convention will be held in Charlotte, although RNC officials say there will be business meetings here Aug. 21-22.
The dramatic, television-grabbing part of the convention will take place in Jacksonville.
The Florida Dept. of Health reported 1,698 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, a nearly 20 percent increase from the previous high of 1,419 reported last Thursday.
