Although rumors of a big RNC event in St. Petersburg had been circulating for months, it was only in the past few weeks that officials with the Tampa Bay Host Committee confirmed it was happening: a major party for both delegates and reporters on the eve of the Republican National Convention in St. Pete's Tropicana Field, the (oft-derided) home of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Ken Jones, president and CEO of the Host Committee, said there was a good reason for the delay.
"It's a very complicated event. These events don't take place overnight...to make sure that we've got all the pieces in place, get this designated as a National Special Security Event — that process alone, in dealing with… DOJ [Department of Justice] and DHS [Department of Homeland Security], is just not an easy process."
Jones spoke to the media today at the Trop from a small stage set up between first base and the visiting team's dugout. He was joined by Rays President Matt Silverman, St. Pete Mayor Bill Foster, Pinellas County Commissioner Chair John Morroni, and Hillsborough County Commission Chair Ken Hagan, the latter two co-hosts of the party.
Not on the dais, but in Jones' heart, was St.Pete businessman Bill Edwards, whom the Host Committee CEO called a "driving force" behind the event. "Bill Edwards is a big reason that we're sitting here today at Tropicana Field."
Twenty thousand invited guests will attend the party, which will take place Sunday, August 26, at 6 p.m. Major entertainment is promised, but Jones wasn't giving out any names just yet. Corporate Magic is the group in charge of putting the whole event together.
The event will break new ground, Jones said: it'll mark the first time in convention history that a joint welcoming party will be held for both reporters and delegates.
