Duval County Sheriff Mike Williams told Politico that security plans put forth for the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville, Fla., next month are "not achievable" under current time constraints.
Why it matters: The decision to move most of the RNC's programming to Jacksonville last month has already come under scrutiny due to a massive surge in coronavirus cases in Florida. These new security concerns deal another blow to President Trump's hopes for a raucous in-person convention.
What they're saying: "As we're talking today, we are still not close to having some kind of plan that we can work with that makes me comfortable that we're going to keep that event and the community safe," Williams told Politico in an interview published Monday.
- "We do need law enforcement officers and we’ve gotten commitments, but not to the level that we thought we needed. And a lot of that is people having virus concerns from their communities, and I understand that," he continued.
- "But there's a lot of things that need to happen: an event schedule nailed down, and being able to sign contracts and spend money so that we can prepare for this event. And none of that has happened yet."
Worth noting: Williams did not completely rule out the possibility that the RNC will go ahead, despite his serious doubts.
The bottom line: "At virtually 75 days it was an incredible lift, and everything would have to be perfect. And needless to say it has not," Williams said.
