Tampa reworking rules for protesters ahead of RNC

City officials are reworking Tampa's permit process to accommodate the tens of thousands of protesters expected to descend on the city next August for the Republican National Convention.

The proposed changes focus on streamlining the process by removing provisions – such as insurance requirements and a 60-day waiting period to get a special-use permit – that have caused confusion and resulted in litigation against previous convention host cities.

"We want to make sure that we're not doing this at the last minute, and that everyone knows what the rules are heading into the convention," Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn said Monday. "If everyone abides by those rules, well, there will be no problems."

John Dingfelder, a former Tampa councilman and now senior staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union for mid-Florida, said there are a number of provisions in the special permit rules that could violate constitutional protections if applied to the event.

Among them: requirements that permit holders take out a $1 million insurance policy and pay for added security, emergency medical services and amenities such port-a-potties.

There's also a solid waste requirement that permit holders provide trash receptacles.

But the advance notice for protests is the biggest concern for civil liberty advocates.

"People are going to show up at the last minute and say 'we want to march,'" Dingfelder said. "This event is only a week, and you can't tell them they have to wait 60 days."

City Attorney Jim Shimberg said the proposed revisions would have to be approved by the city council and vetted in public hearings. No date has been set for a council hearing.

Buckhorn said despite concerns raised by organizers of Occupy Tampa – who have been camped out at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park for weeks – he said the proposed changes are not aimed at preventing them from using city-owned parks to protest.

"This is about the RNC convention, not Occupy Tampa," the mayor said.

Dingfelder said a lot will depend on details of the city's "footprint" for the convention that will spell out where and when protesters are allowed to march and hold outdoor rallies.

The U.S. Secret Service, which is leading security for the event, is still hammering out those details in closed-door meetings with city officials and local law enforcement.

Dingfelder, who has met with city officials, said he has suggested designating certain areas and streets that could be used for protests and marches, instead of permits.

Before the 2008 conventions – the GOP in Minneapolis-St. Paul and Democrats in Denver – the ACLU sued both cities to get permits for protests, arguing that vaguely defined rules and the lengthy process violated constitutional protections.

"Clearly, we are trying to avoid something like that from happening," Shimberg said.