The Independent View: Miami FL Mayor Says Presidential Debate May Not Have Audience

Miami, Florida, Mayor Francis Suarez says he would welcome the Presidential Debate moving to his City in October, but he has doubts about whether it can be held with an Audience because of Coronavirus.

But the Miami area has been a Coronavirus Hotspot for Months in Florida, and Suarez, who had contracted Coronavirus in March, isn’t so sure about having a Large Debate move to his City. Coronavirus Infections and Hospitalizations in Miami-Dade County, have been Increasing ever since joining the State’s Phase Two reopening on June 5th, giving Suarez and other Leaders pause. Phase Three is a Full Reopening.

“Right now, we are not in Phase 3 so I can’t see it today being hosted with people in the audience. Impossible to predict where we will be on October 15. It’s possible that we may already be in Phase 3 by then, and it’s also possible that the debate can be held without people in the audience. The fact that the presidential commission chose Miami for such a critical debate at the end of the campaign highlights the importance of our city and state to determining the outcome of the presidency,” Suarez said.

The Debate Commission has now slated the Debate to be held at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Downtown Miami. The Venue hosted the First Democratic Debates of the 2020 Primary last year. Democrat Joe Biden is a longtime Family Friend of the Arshts and in the past has stayed at their Home.

Biden’s Campaign has expressed a Willingness to comply with whatever Standards the Presidential Debate Commission sets. Trump, meanwhile, has challenged Biden to More Debates, but the Democrat wants the President to Commit to the Three Standard Commission Debates.

In Miami, Suarez’s cautious Optimism about having the Debate come to Miami Contrasts with the Confidence of another Florida Mayor, Jacksonville’s Lenny Curry, who persuaded the Republican National Committee to Move the Nominating Convention to his City after the Party and the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, couldn’t agree on Holding a Full Convention.

Both Curry and Suarez are Republicans and both have seen Reductions in Coronavirus Infection Rates in their respective Cities Overall. But with the recent Rise in Infections in Miami-Dade, County Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced a Countywide Order Monday requiring the Wearing of Protective Masks Inside as well as Outside when Social Distancing of Six feet or More cannot be Maintained.

Suarez has Clashed at times with Gimenez but has worked Closely with his neighboring Democratic Mayor, Miami Beach’s Dan Gelber, who echoed the Miami Mayor’s comments. “I think it’s good for our community to be the lens through which critical issues of the day are discussed,” Gelber said. “But of course any debate would need to fully comply with the health standards required in that moment.”

Miami City Commissioner, Alex Diaz de la Portilla, meanwhile, was more Bullish on having the Debate in his City, saying it could be done “carefully” with Proper Safety Protocols and the Advice of Health Experts and Officials. “We are ready and we welcome the opportunity to host a Presidential debate here in Miami,” Diaz de la Portilla said. “We need to return to normalcy and presidential politics is no exception.”