Tampa Bay area officials discuss RNC security measures

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Republican National Convention in Milwaukee gets underway this week.

Tampa Bay area resident, Tom Gaitens, is a Florida delegate who arrived Saturday.

“The security is already heightened as it has been in recent conventions. You can bet that it’s going to be even stronger in the coming days,” Gaitens said.

The heightened measures follow former President Donald Trump’s assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. President Biden also called on the U.S. Secret Service to review safety measures at the RNC convention.

Audrey Gibson-Cicchino is the lead for security at the convention among Secret Service agents.

“During our extensive planning efforts, we have accounted for various security scenarios that may arise and we are confident in the plan we have implemented,” Gibson-Cicchino said.

During a news conference Sunday, the Secret Service didn’t get into specifics on how agents are keeping attendees safe.

Felicia Pecora is a former Tampa police lieutenant. She also led a safety team during the 2012 RNC convention in Tampa.

“The Secret Service, they know what they are doing and local law enforcement. When I was with the police department, I was a bomb technician. So, I had a small part in planning various aspects of when the Republican National Convention was here,” Pecora said.

Tthe law enforcement veteran said the best thing to do for those attending the upcoming convention is to trust officers.

“There has been a lot of stuff in the news where people, they don’t want to trust the authorities,” Pecora continued. “This is not the time to start pushing that rhetoric. This is the time to say, for everybody’s safety, we’ve got to go through the process. This is the process they have set up; we need to trust that process and start looking at it like we are all in this together.”

As for Gaitens, he believes this year’s convention is going to carry more meaning than in previous years.

“I think the mood is going to be resilience,” Gaitens said. Several Florida officials are scheduled to speak at the convention.

On Monday, Congressman Matt Gaetz is scheduled to speak. On Tuesday, Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nunez and former Attorney General Pam Bondi plan to speak. Former North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn who lives in Southwest Florida will speak on Wednesday and Florida resident, and former President Donald Trump, will speak on Thursday.

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