Jacksonville approved for federal grant to pay for RNC rally security

The city of Jacksonville has confirmed to Action News Jax that it has received National Special Security Event (NSSE) designation for the Republican National Convention rally in August.

The designation means federal grant money, possibly as much as $50 million, is available to provide financial support for law enforcement and related activities.

According to the Bureau of Justice, “The stated purposed of this funding is to provide support for law enforcement activities, including personnel, necessary equipment and overtime costs associated with the 2020 Republican/Democratic presidential Candidate Nominating Convention.”

The city of Jacksonville says, “it’s working with DOJ on submissions of security budgets.”

Action News Jax reached out to the Jacksonville 2020 Host Committee to get an update on its overall fundraising efforts and received this statement from a spokesperson:

“The Jacksonville 2020 Host Committee is working to raise tens of millions of dollars to support hosting the Republican National Convention in August and we are confident we will have the resources needed.

“Jacksonville is a world-class destination that serves more than 22 million visitors a year and we are confident we will be ready. We have built an experienced team that has been hard at work to ensure success this August.

“We have hundreds of interested businesses across the First Coast that are currently being matched with convention opportunities. Based on economic impact studies of past events, National Conventions have the potential to create hundreds of direct jobs with an associated tens of millions of dollars in labor income, draw tens of thousands of visitors to the host city and inject $100+ million into the local economy.

“The countdown clock on Jacksonville2020.com serves as a reminder to us all that every second matters in planning this historic event.

“Please encourage interested businesses to register online at https://jacksonville2020.com/vendors/.”

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