Republican National Convention committee votes to host scaled-down convention in Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Republican National Convention executive committee has unanimously voted Wednesday night to host a significantly scaled-down convention in Charlotte.

The convention will only be used for 'official business'. Meanwhile, President Trump's acceptance speech of the GOP nomination will be held elsewhere.

According to ABC News, there won't be a platform committee at the 2020 convention, instead, the executive committee opted to keep the 2016 platform in place through 2024 with no changes.

"The RNC's Executive Committee has unanimously approved procedures that allow for official convention business to continue in Charlotte," an RNC spokesperson told ABC News. "Many cities are eager to host the president's acceptance of the nomination, and talks are continuing with several of them to host that celebration. A final decision will be made soon."

A total of about 336 delegates are expected to attend the convention in-person, according to new procedures. Delegates not present can designate one of the delegates present as a proxy to cast their vote for nominations.

In a statement shared with ABC11, an RNC spokesperson said:

"Several cities are still being considered. No final decision has been made. Convention officials are touring Phoenix, Savannah, Dallas, and Jacksonville this week, and we have been in conversations with several other potential locations."

That statement came hours after the Charlotte Host Committee released a statement of its own, expressing surprise that the RNC might have finalized plans to move to Florida:

"We have learned from news reports that the Republican National Committee has moved the convention from Charlotte to Jacksonville, Florida. Though there have been some conversations about business meetings being held in our city, nothing has been confirmed to us. This decision is in clear violation of the agreements made with the City of Charlotte, the County of Mecklenburg, Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, and the Charlotte Host Committee. Unfortunately, this action most directly impacts our hospitality and tourism partners, small businesses, and vendors counting on the economic impact of the promised events."

The weeks-long back-and-forth began when Gov. Roy Cooper, citing public health concerns, refused to guarantee that a full, 19,000-attendee RNC could take place inside Charlotte's Spectrum Center and surrounding venues in late August.

Earlier, Gov. Cooper's office provided ABC11 with a statement:

"State and local partners have been willing to work together with the RNC on a scaled-down event with health and safety measures," said Press Secretary Dory McMillian. "But it wouldn't be responsible to guarantee a full arena as the RNC has demanded. State officials will continue to support health and safety aspects of any activities that do remain in North Carolina."

Pres. Donald Trump then tweeted his intention to move the RNC out of North Carolina entirely; in days since, however, the RNC and Gov. Cooper have mentioned ongoing talks to at least conduct the Republican National Committee's business meetings in Charlotte while only moving the President's acceptance speech and celebration elsewhere.