Mayor Curry touts Jacksonville as possible destination for Republican National Convention

Mayor Lenny Curry on Tuesday morning suggested Jacksonville as a potential option for the Republican National Convention this summer, should the party elect to move the event from its scheduled location in Charlotte, N.C.

In a Twitter thread, Curry cited the city’s recent hosting of the UFC 249 mixed martial arts competition earlier this month as an example of Jacksonville’s ability to stage major events on short notice during the coronavirus pandemic.

“The @CityofJax has strongly demonstrated the ability to host large events in a safe & responsible way. The world’s 1st pro live sporting event since COVID19 was broadcast around the globe from @VyStarVetArena in partnership with the @UFC. We would be honored to host the Republican National Convention in that same world class facility. Thankfully, @GovRonDeSantis and my administration have created a regulatory framework that operates in way that is attractive to significant events like these.”

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Curry included a video from UFC president Dana White praising the city’s work in organizing the event, the first major American sporting events for nearly two months after the pandemic halted athletic competition, including The Players Championship for golf in Ponte Vedra Beach, midway through March.

The UFC fights were held on May 9, May 13 and May 16, with no spectators and only essential personnel inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.

That event was accompanied by large-scale testing of fighters, support staff, security, media members and others associated with the bouts. One fighter was removed from competition, along with his cornermen, after testing positive for COVID-19 on the night of May 8.

In a follow-up minutes after Curry’s announcement, the official Twitter account of the Duval County Republican Party said, “Let’s make it happen! There’s no city better prepared to step up and host the RNC! #RNCtoJAX”

Gov. Ron DeSantis echoed Curry’s willingness to bring the convention to Florida, though he did not specify a host city and said his administration would support any Florida city selected by the party.

“If we can get it done and do it in a way that would be safe, that would have a huge economic impact,” DeSantis said during an afternoon news conference in Miami.

Florida would have competition for any relocated convention. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp also made his pitch for the Republican Party to select the Peach State.

“With world-class facilities, restaurants, hotels, and workforce, Georgia would be honored to safely host the Republican National Convention,” Kemp said.

It is not clear whether the convention will leave Charlotte, where it is currently scheduled Aug. 24-27 at the Spectrum Center, or whether a traditional physical convention in any location will prove feasible during the pandemic.

President Donald Trump fueled speculation of a coming relocation Monday with a series of tweets that said that the Republicans could move if they are not able to fully attend the event.

“I love the Great State of North Carolina, so much so that I insisted on having the Republican National Convention in Charlotte at the end of August,” Trump said on Twitter. “Unfortunately, Democrat Governor, @RoyCooperNC is still in Shutdown mood & unable to guarantee that by August we will be allowed full attendance in the Arena. In other words, we would be spending millions of dollars building the Arena to a very high standard without even knowing if the Democrat Governor would allow the Republican Party to fully occupy the space.

“Plans are being made by many thousands of enthusiastic Republicans, and others, to head to beautiful North Carolina in August. They must be immediately given an answer by the Governor as to whether or not the space will be allowed to be fully occupied. If not, we will be reluctantly forced to find, with all of the jobs and economic development it brings, another Republican National Convention site. This is not something I want to do.”

The chance to bring the convention to Jacksonville is a long shot, Curry acknowledged during an appearance Tuesday afternoon with U.S. Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf. But he said circumstances surrounding the coronavirus carry both risks and opportunities and said it’s important to be ready when those opportunities emerge.

“Of course there are safety concerns. We have a virus now with no vaccine,” Curry said.

But the mayor said every community has learn how to cope with those concerns until the virus is someday brought under control. “As we move forward, we have to do so in a careful, responsible way,” Curry said.

Prior to the pandemic, organizers originally expected a crowd of nearly 50,000 to attend the convention in Charlotte. Since March, however, mass gatherings have been restricted under guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control. Those measures are aimed at curbing the spread of a virus linked to nearly 100,000 deaths in the United States, as calculated by Johns Hopkins University.

Curry did not specify any details regarding occupancy at the arena in the event that Republican leaders did relocate the convention to Jacksonville. Charlotte’s Spectrum Center has a capacity of 20,200, more than 30 percent larger than VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.

Any bid to bring a convention to Jacksonville would have to surmount many other logistical hurdles, including downtown lodging, in addition to the complex health and sanitation challenges surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. Tropical weather looms as another risk: In 2019 during the final week of August, Jacksonville was scrambling to prepare for the threatened approach of Hurricane Dorian, which ultimately lashed the Bahamas with Category 5 winds.

Florida has held three prior Republican conventions, none in Jacksonville. The 1968 and 1972 conventions were both in Miami Beach, nominating Richard Nixon for president and Spiro Agnew for vice president in each case. The 2012 convention was held in Tampa, nominating Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.

The Palm Beach Post contributed to this story.

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