A group of attorneys from Jacksonville, Florida, filed a lawsuit demanding the city block the Republican National Convention from taking place there in August.
The attorneys sued in Duval County on Wednesday, listing several reasons why they believe the event could be a threat to the public health of the city during the coronavirus pandemic. They argued the convention would be “a nuisance injurious to the health (and) welfare” of Jacksonville’s residents.
“To avoid community spread of COVID-19 and to protect the health and welfare of Plaintiffs and the community, it is necessary and essential that all super spreader events where large numbers of people congregate in close proximity indoors not occur,” the attorneys stated in the lawsuit.
“The congregation of thousands of people in close proximity for extended periods of time will constitute a nuisance and result in massive spread of COVID-19 among the persons in attendance and throughout the City of Jacksonville and Northeast Florida and interfere in Plaintiffs’ use and enjoyment of their property and right to be free of infliction of disease and death,” the attorneys argued.
Florida has experienced a surge in new coronavirus cases over the past few weeks. On Saturday, the state set a record for the most new cases in a single day out of any state, adding 11,458 to their tally.
The Republican National Committee has struggled with the logistics of holding a convention during a pandemic. The RNC originally planned to host the event in North Carolina, but President Trump said last month that he will accept the nomination in Jacksonville after Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper refused to guarantee easing up restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The RNC now has plans to test every guest who enters the convention. Approximately 15,000 people are expected to attend the convention when it takes place in late August.
Meanwhile, Democrats plan to hold a downsized convention in Milwaukee in August.
The Republican Party of Texas was notified on Wednesday that the Democratic mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner, canceled their annual convention over concerns about the coronavirus.
