Republican National  Committee
June 11, 2020

RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel Announces Jacksonville, Florida as Host City to Celebrate President Trump’s Acceptance of Nomination

WASHINGTON – Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel announced today that Jacksonville, Florida has been selected as the host city to celebrate the re-nomination of President Donald J. Trump.  The selection of Jacksonville comes after Governor Roy Cooper refused to provide assurances that this celebration could occur in Charlotte, North Carolina.    
 
"We are thrilled to celebrate this momentous occasion in the great city of Jacksonville," said RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.  "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.  We look forward to bringing this great celebration and economic boon to the Sunshine State in just a few short months." 
 
The RNC’s Executive Committee has voted unanimously to allow the official business of the national convention to continue in Charlotte. But, because the current North Carolina COVID-19 restrictions would not allow for the celebration to occur in Charlotte and Governor Cooper would not work with the RNC to offer guidelines, the celebration of the nomination and the economic impact that goes with it must be moved to Jacksonville.  
 
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry have been very welcoming, and we look forward to bringing a safe and exciting celebration to Jacksonville and the surrounding area. 
 
"Florida is honored to host this special event where we will celebrate the re-nomination of President Donald J. Trump," said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. "Jacksonville is a great city that will showcase Florida’s energy, facilities, entrepreneurship and commitment to bring together the delegates of the Republican Party at a historic time in our nation’s history."
 
"Today's announcement is a huge win for the City of Jacksonville to host the celebration of President Trump’s acceptance of the nomination," said City of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry.  "The opportunity to highlight all our city has to offer and the tremendous economic impact is one I enthusiastically welcome, and we look forward to hosting an exciting event for all delegates and guests to enjoy."
 
The celebration of the re-nomination of the President will take place at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. More details will be released in the coming weeks. 
 
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City of Jacksonville  Lenny Curry, Mayor
News Release
June 11, 2020

RNC SELECTS CITY OF JACKSONVILLE TO HOST 2020 REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION

Jacksonville, Fla., June 11, 2020 ----Today the Republican National Committee announced they have formally selected the City of Jacksonville to host the 2020 Convention. 
 
“Today’s announcement is exciting news for the City of Jacksonville” said Mayor Lenny Curry. “I enthusiastically welcome the opportunity to highlight everything our city has to offer, along with the tremendous economic impact. We look forward to hosting the 2020 Republican National Convention for all delegates and guests to enjoy”. 
 
“The herculean task of securing the 2020 Convention was led by two senior members of my administration, Jordan Elsbury and Brian Hughes. Together on my behalf, they worked with Visit Jacksonville’s Michael Corrigan to secure over 10,000 hotel rooms, coordinated with private entities and the City’s facility Manager, ASM Global, to secure host venues. All of these combined are anticipated to bring an economic impact of more than $100 million to our City. We will continue to collaborate with local, state, and federal law enforcement to insure we host a safe and secure event,” Mayor Lenny Curry said. 
Republican Party of Florida
June 11, 2020

Statement By RPOF Chairman Joe Gruters:

“The Republican Party of Florida is delighted that Jacksonville will host the Republican National Convention. The energy and excitement is already building in the Sunshine State for the opportunity to celebrate President Donald J. Trump delivering his acceptance speech.

“The convention will bring visitors and attendees from all across the country to Jacksonville, a beautiful Florida city on the Atlantic Ocean offering hotel space, top-notch convention facilities, beautiful weather, beaches and a lot of Republicans — just an overall outstanding venue. There is no better place to host the Republican National Convention than in the nation’s largest swing state that is also home to President Trump and to the country’s best Governor, Ron DeSantis.

“We thank Governor DeSantis and Lt. Governor Jeanette Nuñez for all their hard work over the last few months in navigating through the COVID-19 outbreak and safely leading the state back to work — which set the stage so perfectly for this opportunity. We also applaud Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, former Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, for stepping in quickly and effectively to offer conventioneers the best that Jacksonville has to offer.

“We are particularly grateful to Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel for her leadership and tireless efforts under such difficult circumstances and compressed timeline and we would also like to thank the RNC’s Executive Committee for bringing the 2020 Republican National Convention to Jacksonville. We are thrilled Florida was selected and we will not let them down.

“Florida is committed to holding a safe, secure and successful event and we look forward to delivering the 29 electoral votes that the President needs to win the election.”
Republican Party of Duval County
June 11, 2020 facebook post

Dear Republican Faithful,

I have exciting news: We did it! As you may have heard by now, our #RNCtoJAX movement was a success and the Republican National Convention is coming to OUR CITY this summer!

When we started the #RNCtoJAX campaign some weeks ago, we were confident that our City would be the very best place to hold the Convention - and we are pleased that President Trump concurs! Over the next few months, the spotlight will certainly be focused on Jacksonville. I have great faith that our city will shine brighter than ever.

This achievement simply would not be possible without the fine work of our Governor, Mayor, Sheriff, and their teams in coordinating the details and planning.

I know many people are interested in receiving more information regarding the convention and have already been stepping up to help. If you want more information or to volunteer, please sign up by clicking here: RNCVolunteer.com

We will provide you with updates as the situation continues to develop.

In Service,

Dean Black
Chairman, Republican Party of Duval County
Democratic National Committee
June 11, 2020

DNC Statement on Trump's Ego-Driven Convention

DNC Communications Director Xochitl Hinojosa released the following statement on the RNC moving their convention for Trump's ego:

"The RNC is planning a convention for an audience of one: Donald Trump's ego. More than 113,000 Americans have died and millions have lost their jobs all because Donald Trump has been hiding in his bunker and leaving the American people to grapple with his ineptitude.  Now, Trump and Republicans have decided to handle their convention planning the same way they've handled the entire coronavirus crisis: prioritize Trump's ego over Americans' health and safety. While Donald Trump refuses to listen to health experts because he only cares about himself, Democrats will follow science and prioritize the health and safety of the American people."
Florida Democratic Party
June 11, 2020

STATEMENT: Florida Democratic Party on the RNC Convention Relocation

In response to the news that the RNC is moving Donald Trump’s acceptance speech to Jacksonville, Florida, Democratic Party Chair Terrie Rizzo released the following statement: 

“First, let me be clear that I sincerely hope that the Republican Party is successful in keeping everyone safe at their events. However, I am deeply concerned that the impetus for moving their highest profile event to Florida was because Donald Trump wanted to give a speech to a crowd of people not social distancing -- and, given his previous public events, likely not wearing masks. Those are safety protocols set forth by his own administration’s public health experts to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

“Donald Trump abandoned North Carolina because he wants it to look like the threat of the coronavirus is over when he gives his big televised speech. Unfortunately, optics are not a public health strategy, nor are they a good re-election strategy. No speech this president makes can successfully gloss over his failed coronavirus response to Americans who have watched this president dither for months as more than 44 million have filed for unemployment benefits and 113,000 have lost their lives. Trump is coming to Florida to throw himself a big party -- but it’s looking more and more like a goodbye party to his chance at a second term in the White House.”

BACKGROUND: Donald Trump is Losing Support Among Voters Across the Board in Florida

[6.11.20]
“That frustration is a problem for Florida Republicans as they try to secure their state again for President Donald Trump. Trump’s path to winning reelection is exceedingly narrow without Florida’s 29 electoral votes. The broken unemployment insurance system raises the prospect that thousands of out-of-work Floridians will bring their anger to the voting booth in a state where races are decided by the slimmest of margins.

“I’ve been a Trump supporter, but I’m kind of questioning everything,” said Lynch, who voted for him in 2016 when she lived in Minneapolis. She was initially impressed by his business acumen, she said, but is now questioning his leadership in crisis.

[5. 25.20] 
In Florida, more than 20 percent of those who voted in the 2016 election were over age 65, according to exit polls. In 2016, Trump won the Florida senior vote by a 17-point margin over Clinton, according to exit polls. The state ranks as one Trump must almost certainly win to insure his victory, while Biden has other paths to the White House.

Yet for months, Biden has been more popular than Trump with seniors. A national poll of registered voters released by Quinnipiac University last week shows Biden leading by 10 points among voters over 65. A Quinnipiac poll in late April found 52 percent of Florida seniors supporting Biden to 42 percent for Trump, while a Fox News poll around the same time found Biden narrowly ahead.

[6.9.20]
“A new poll finds a majority of Floridians are dissatisfied with President Donald Trump‘s efforts to deal with both the health and economic problems of the coronavirus outbreak.

“The poll, which Change Research conducted for the Democratic National Committee in Florida and five other swing states, finds consistent majorities agreeing with negative views of Trump’s handling of the crisis, and more generally about the unemployment rate in Florida and the national economy.”

[1.3.20] 
“Hours before President Trump is scheduled to speak before thousands of supporters at a South Florida megachurch, faith leaders spoke out on how the president’s behavior and policies are losing him support with the religious community.”

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Duval County Democrats
posted by Daniel Henry
June 12, 2020

DUVAL COUNTY DEMOCRATS OPPOSE BRINGING THE RNC TO JACKSONVILLE

JACKSONVILLE, FL - On the same day that the single-day highest number of COVID-19 cases were reported in Florida, the Republican National Committee announced a major part of the National Convention will head to Jacksonville.

According to the Florida Department of Health, the state is now on an upswing of Corona-Virus cases with nearly 70,000 total cases being reported.

Both Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and Governor Ron DeSantis had been publicly wooing the convention to the city.

“This is decision is reckless and irresponsible”, said Duval County Democratic Party Chair, Daniel Henry. “The Center for Disease Control has consistently warned people against large gatherings. Yet our local political leadership chose to put partisanship over citizenship and their sworn duty to keep this city safe.

Henry and local party leaders have met several times over the past few days. The group unanimously opposed the decision to bring the convention to Jacksonville.

“Now more than ever we will continue our efforts to mobilize voters in Jacksonville to make sure that Democrats are empowered, energized, and ready to go to the polls,” said Henry.

The Republican National Committee decided to move its convention from Charlotte, North Carolina because of President Trump’s insistence on a full convention, with no face masks or social distancing. To-date, Mayor Curry remains silent on whether he has acquiesced to the same demands.

The Democratic Executive Committee is the governing body of the Democratic Party in Duval County. The committee works daily to build a strong and sustainable Democratic Party in Jacksonville. With more than 250,000 registered Democrats in the county, the DEC is responsible for handling local Florida Democratic Party affairs.

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change.org petition by Richard Borders 15,000 had signed as of 10:07 p.m. Pacific Time June 11

Keep Republican National Convention out of Jacksonville

The use of city of Jacksonville for the Republican National Convention must be prevented. The damages incurred will take years to recover from. It would out weigh any financial benefits that the city could hope for. It is a fact this convention will bring with it the largest protests in the history of our country. During the recent protests in Jacksonville  there were small riots, violence and destruction of property that occurred. This was a small protest with one view. A convention would attract protesters peaceful and violent from around the world with two opposite intense poltical views. It is a perfect storm for violence and destruction that has no benefit for the residents of Jacksonville. 
Florida Department of Health
June 11, 2020
Contact: Joint Information Center on COVID-19 for the State of Florida 

Florida Department of Health Updates New COVID-19 Cases, Announces Forty-Seven Deaths Related to COVID-19

~67,456 positive cases in Florida residents and 1,613 positive cases in non-Florida residents~

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Department of Health (DOH), in order to provide more comprehensive data, releases a report on COVID-19 cases in Florida once per day. The DOH COVID-19 dashboard is also providing updates once per day. The state also provides a report detailing surveillance data for every Florida county, which is available here.

Test results for more than 31,400 individuals were reported to DOH as of midnight, on Wednesday, June 10. Today, as reported at 11 a.m., there are:

  • 1,698 new positive COVID-19 cases (1,677 Florida residents and 21 non-Florida residents)
  • 47 Florida resident deaths related to COVID-19
The percent of those testing positive for COVID-19 overall is 5 percent. On June 10, 5.5 percent of new cases** tested positive.

There are a total of 69,069 Florida cases*** with 2,848 deaths related to COVID-19.

Since data reported at 11 a.m. on June 11, the deaths of forty-seven Florida residents who tested positive for COVID-19 have been reported in Alachua, Broward, Collier, Dade, Desoto, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Martin, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and St. Lucie counties.

Florida long-term care facility data:

  • The list of long-term care facilities with active COVID-19 cases is available here. 
  • The list of long-term care facilities with deaths is available here, which is updated weekly.
  • To date, 1,487 individuals that were staff or residents of a long-term care facility have died. 
The antibody COVID-19 test results report will be provided once a week and contains county, race and lab information on antibody COVID-19 tests conducted in Florida. The report for antibody tests conducted by private health care providers is available here and the report for antibody tests conducted at state-supported COVID-19 testing sites is available here. 

More information on a case-by-case basis can also be found here.

Confirmed Cases in Florida Residents 67,456
Confirmed by DOH 5,364
Tested by private labs 62,092
Characteristics of Florida Resident Cases  
FL resident diagnosed & isolated out of state* 8
Deaths 2,848
Cases in Non-Florida Residents 1,613
Confirmed by DOH 138
Tested by private labs 1,475
 
Total Cases Overview 69,069
Traveled 2,234
Contact with confirmed case 32,064
Travel & contact with confirmed case 2,142
Under Investigation 31,016

For more detail on Florida resident cases, please visit the live DOH Dashboard here. 

* Florida residents that are diagnosed with COVID-19 and isolated out of state are not reflected on the Florida map.

**This percentage is the number of people who test positive for the first time divided by all tests, excluding people who have previously tested positive.

***Total cases overview includes positive cases in Florida residents and non-Florida residents tested in Florida.
Ed. note.  On June 11, the day of the announcement, the United States surpassed 2 million cases of coronavirus.  Google showed Florida and Duval Co. have been relatively lightly affected:

 confirmed cases
 cases per 1M people
 deaths
U.S.
 2,062,704
 6,259
 115,441
Florida
 64,904
 3,406
 2,712
Duval Co.
 1,660
 1,906
 51
https://news.google.com/covid19/map?hl=en-US&mid=%2Fm%2F0jhz_&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen
However, Google also showed June 11 was the highest level of new cases in Florida since the start of the pandemic, 1,698:
[https://www.google.com/search?q=coronavirus+cases]