Downtown Investment Authority officials say they’ve fielded concerns from Downtown businesses about the anticipated security zone for the Republican National Convention that one board member said could extend as far west as Hogan Street.
During the DIA’s June 17 board meeting, CEO Lori Boyer and board member Braxton Gillam both said they’ve received questions about the security zone.
Gilliam, an attorney with Milam Howard Nicandri Gillam & Renner, said he took phone calls from law firms inside Wells Fargo Center and Bank of America Tower, both concerned about access to their offices during the Aug. 24-27 convention, where President Donald Trump will accept the 2020 GOP nomination.
Gillam referenced a “disclosure” that shows the security zone boundaries for the convention at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena to the Arlington Expressway to the north; the St. Johns River to the south; the front of TIAA Bank Field to the east; and Hogan Street to the west.
“I think there’s really a lack of information because it’s new, but they wanted to know about accessing the office for work the week of this convention,” Gillam said.
Gillam did not say the origin of the disclosure or if he saw it firsthand. He did not immediately return a phone call for more information June 17.
In an interview after the meeting, Boyer said she’s reached out to city Chief Administrative Officer Brian Hughes’ office about the security zone and didn’t get a “clear direction.”
Boyer said, as of June 17, she had not spoken with Hughes directly. Mayor Lenny Curry’s office said in a June 11 news release that Hughes worked with city Chief of Staff Jordan Elsbury to bring the convention to Jacksonville.
The DIA chief said it’s early in the planning process and expects more information from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office or the Curry administration as plans for the RNC solidify.
Boyer also wants to know if law enforcement will establish a designated protest area for the convention and where Downtown it will be located.
City Director of Public Affairs Nikki Kimbleton said in a June 17 email that she could not release any security information about the RNC until coordinating with the Curry administration’s “entire command team.”
Boyer told board members June 17 that it’s the DIA’s role to communicate the security details with Downtown businesses.
“I have inquired about details about the security zone and do not have them yet,” Boyer said.
Curry said in a June 12 news conference that federal and state law enforcement will be brought in for security and Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams will work with law enforcement agencies from surrounding counties.
Charlotte, North Carolina, the city originally selected in 2018 to host the convention, accepted a $50 million security grant from the U.S. Department of Justice in April connected to hosting the RNC, according to The Charlotte Observer.
It also said the Charlotte host committee was charged with raising almost $70 million for the event.
Curry said he didn’t know how the security money would be transferred to Jacksonville, but said the city could use cash on hand, reserve dollars typically used as a stopgap for FEMA emergency relief aid during hurricane recovery, if the government can’t reimburse security costs in a timely manner.