Turning Point clashes with Palm Beach County on first night of annual conference

Turning Point spokespeople told the Washington Examiner that they had plans for attendees to fill “overflow” rooms, including an empty ballroom on the second floor that held 600 for their Leadership Ball dinner.

“We had over 50% more applicants this year than last year, and last year was a massive, massive event of 5,000 people,” a Turning Point spokesman told the Washington Examiner. The spokesman said the organization was limited by the county to fill only 50% of the convention center.

Turning Point USA, a large conservative nonprofit organization, holds conferences throughout the year, including its Student Action Summit. It has featured top-tier speakers, including President Trump and the Trump family.

Turning Point COO Tyler Bowyer told the Washington Examiner that 10 days before the first night of the conference, the county placed a limit on their attendance to 1,800 attendees.

“There was no capacity requirement in the contract. When we signed the original contract, it was for full capacity,” Bowyer said in a statement, referencing a contract Turning Point USA said they signed with the Palm Beach Convention Center prior to the coronavirus pandemic. “Currently Palm Beach county is at phase 2 — 50% capacity — County Convention Center is imposing beyond recent phase 2 requirements for the venue,” he continued.

Baker told staff that Turning Point USA “oversold their contract capacity by 500-600 people,” according to communications obtained by CBS 12. “The Convention Center is adhering to the contractual agreement with Turning Point of a 2,000 person capacity; this leaves 500-600 people unable to enter the Convention Center,” Baker continued.

The Washington Examiner reached out to Baker’s office for comment but did not hear back for publication.

To be allowed in the venue, attendees are required to wear masks and adhere to social distancing guidelines. Turning Point conducted temperature checks on all attendees and administered wrist-bands to those without fever.

A Turning Point spokesperson shared an image with the Washington Examiner that showed the venue’s total capacity before coronavirus restrictions, totaling 6,250. “Even with limited seating in General Session, we offered to use overflow rooms … which would have more than accommodated students. They refused and continued to take us far below 50% capacity,” reads communication from a Turning Point official to staffers obtained by the Washington Examiner.

The annual conference, which typically garners thousands of young conservative attendees, featured high-profile speakers on its first night, including Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Donald Trump Jr. Crowds of attendees outside the convention center began shouting “let us in” chants, and some even formed their own private march to the mayor’s office around 7 p.m. Zachary Forbes, a 20-year-old college student from Florida, was among the attendees who participated in the march, protesting the convention center’s requirements.

“We stood in front of the mayor’s office and protested the lockdowns, holding up an American flag and throwing down our masks. We feel like the real message this weekend was that our leaders, even within the conservative movement, profit off of rallying us in outrage while keeping us from taking any real action,” Forbes told the Washington Examiner.

Forbes said the two dozen or so attendees in the march felt they were “taken advantage of” after paying to attend the conference.

Some speakers, including Trump Jr. and conservative commentator Dennis Prager, went outside with a megaphone to speak to students waiting in line.

Andrew Kolvet, a spokesman with Turning Point, told the Washington Examiner that any attendees impacted by the first-night debacle would not be denied refunds. He said students and attendees were sent a link by email on how to obtain them.

Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to be the final speaker for the conservative conference on Tuesday.