A.G. Gancarski
Various plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Duval County want to see the Republican National Convention stopped from coming to Jacksonville or at least capped at 2,500 attendance.
The suit targets a panoply of parties, including the city of Jacksonville, the Republican National Committee, the Donald Trump campaign, and ASM Global, which manages events for the city.
The claim: that the “congregation of thousands of people” for the convention “under the circumstances and practices encouraged and required by the Republican National Committee” would be a “nuisance injurious” to Jacksonville residents.
Furthermore, the “congregation of thousands of people in close proximity for extended periods of time will constitute a nuisance and cause a massive spread of COVID-19 in Jacksonville and throughout Northeast Florida.”
Plaintiffs, the filing asserts, live or own businesses in the so-called “Convention Zone,” and “will be directly and adversely impacted,” including by COVID-19 itself.
The plaintiffs are also concerned that the area’s homeless population faced risk from conventioneers, saying “exposure of this community to the comings and goings of the thousands who will be involved with this convention is especially harmful to their health and welfare because of their vulnerability to COVID-19.”
The case is rooted in state law dating back to 1917, allowing citizens to object to a “judicially abatable nuisance.”
In this case, it is the President’s political operation choosing to habitually “eschew safe COVID-19 health practices.”
The filing notes that Jacksonville was selected to host precisely because the city was eager to host a full-scale convention.
However, that may not be a hard and fast condition after all, despite the jilting of Charlotte on those grounds.
“Well, we’re always looking at different things. When we signed in Jacksonville and, again, we wanted to be in North Carolina, that almost worked out but the governor didn’t want to have people use the arena essentially and we sort of said, too bad. Too bad for North Carolina, and then we went to Florida and when we went when we signed a few weeks ago, it looked good and now all of a sudden it’s spiking up a little bit and that’s going to go down — it really depends on the timing. Look, we’re very flexible. We could do a lot of things but we’re very flexible,” the President said.
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, addressing media from quarantine this week, suggested that perhaps a full-occupancy convention may not be in the cards after all, given the state still being in Phase 2 reopening, which includes indoor occupancy caps.
“Facilities cannot participate in anything over 50% capacity,” Curry said. “That’s where we are right now. So we’re just going to continue to evaluate as we move toward that date.”
Curry also noted that in light of COVID-19, fundraising itself was a challenge for the event.
4 comments
Frankie M.
July 8, 2020 at 10:34 pm
First suing the city last year for usurping the school board’s authority, now this? What’s next? Is someone gonna sue over this toothless mask mandate?? Did WC not get the memo about one city one Jax?
Sonja Fitch
July 9, 2020 at 6:57 am
Looting Lenny we are now having to deal with the third debacle you have tried to force on Jacksonville! Cancel the RNC! The Duval County schools will have and do have plans to transition our children back into school! No large groups,RNC! Shut down bars and indoor businesses! If we are able to transition our children, which included folks going back to work through this virus explosion, til January we might be on the path to economic recovery!
Mel Thomas
July 9, 2020 at 8:13 pm
Democrats want to make this election all about the hate for President Trump. NOT their platform & Goals for obvious reasons.
At least know who & what you are voting for. Do you know the Democrats goals? here it is.
Democrat Platform & Goals:
*End all deportations of illegal aliens, if you get here, you stay. Bernie’s website calls it a “moratorium” on deportations.
*Citizenship for 20 to 50 million illegal aliens, DACA & TPS recipients with a cost of billions.
*Massive tax increases. All Democrat candidates have committed to tax increases of various amounts.
*Sanctuary Cities & States. Joe Biden supports sanctuary cities.
*Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Green new deal.(which would create massive unemployment, 100,000 jobs estimated in the transportation industry alone.) Joe Biden supports.
*De-fund & terminate border patrol & ICE.
*Free Healthcare for Illegal aliens, DACA, TPS recipients (taxpayer funded with one estimate at 52 trillion) Joe Biden endorsed.
*Ending of all private / employer based health care. “Medicare for all”, Feds run everything.
*Illegal Aliens eligible for welfare & food stamps. (Elizabeth Warrens plan adopted)
*Reparations for race’s harmed by Caucasians. Joe Biden committed to “Reverend” Al Sharpton’s support for Sheila Jackson Lee’s reparations bill in the House. Basically a tax will be levied on all Caucasians in America. (you can’t make this stuff up)
*Free college for all, including illegal aliens (taxpayer funded estimates in the billions. Bernie Sanders plan adopted.
*Decriminalization of illegal entry into our country.
*Open Borders.
*Drivers Licenses for illegal aliens (already happening in states with Democrat leadership.
*Late term abortions up to 9 months.
*Ending of all private / employer based health care. “Medicare for all”, Feds run everything.
* Destruction and erasing our history.
Sonja Fitch
July 10, 2020 at 10:57 am
Houston prevailed; the Texas GOP convention cancelled due to pandemic crisis! Jacksonville City Council serve and protect ! Our children will be trying to transition back into school!
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