Holland & Knight Advising 2012 Tampa Bay Host Committee for Republican National Convention

Tampa, Fla. – August 24, 2012 – For over two years, Holland & Knight has been serving as legal advisor to the 2012 Tampa Bay Host Committee, Inc., a not-for-profit, non-partisan entity responsible for organizing and hosting the Republican National Convention. Work began far in advance of Tampa being selected as the site of the convention. Between donated legal services and cash contributions, the firm, to date, has provided in excess of $250,000 to the efforts of the Host Committee.

Some of the firm's work includes organizing the Host Committee as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization; drafting and negotiating agreements with the Republican National Committee, venues, municipal entities and media; addressing numerous state and local tax and regulatory issues; and handling related litigation.

Holland & Knight attorneys are also volunteering to assist the RNC Committee on Contests in hearing disputes relating to the election and certification of delegates and alternate delegates who attend the national convention.  The firm also represented the RNC in the successful defense of a lawsuit challenging the allocation of delegates and in the ongoing appeal.

The team is being led by Tampa-based partner Bob Grammig and includes attorneys and policy advisors from several of the firm's offices across the United States.

The firm is also serving as counsel to both The City of Tampa and The City of Charlotte, where the 2012 Democratic National Convention will be held, by providing assistance securing a $50 million in federal funding for each city to help finance convention security measures.