DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Hundreds of seniors looking to get a vaccine in Volusia County Tuesday morning are spending the night in the Daytona Stadium.

What You Need To Know

  • Hundreds of seniors will be spanding the night at Daytona Stadium

  • They had showed up to wait in line for COVID-19 vaccines Tuesday morning

  • Daytona Beach city officials said the situation became a safety and traffic issue

The city of Daytona Beach announced Monday night that so many people had shown up to camp overnight, that they decided to open up the Daytona Stadium to the first 1,000 people in line starting at 7 p.m, rather than wait for 5 a.m. Tuesday morning.  In a press release, city officials said that hundreds of people showed early despite being asked not to and it became a safety and traffic issue on LPGA boulevard. 

Some people say waiting in line early is worth it, after they were turned away from getting a vaccine on Monday.  

“I called the Daytona Beach Police Department last night and I asked them if you could come and stay overnight and they said absolutely not, and they said we are aware of the situation, that there are people there now and we are handling it,” said Robert Phillips, who was turned away Monday morning. 

However, it seems dozens of seniors did end up camping out on the shoulder of LPGA boulevard, giving them an early start that Phillips wasn’t expecting.

"We noticed more than anything was that the parking lot was full already and I looked at the clock and it was 5:30 a.m. and they had said that whey would open the gates at 7 a.m.,” he said.

A city spokesperson shared that they ended up opening the gates around 4 a.m. and hit capacity by 6:30 a.m. Monday, two and a half hours before vaccinations even began. According to Daytona Beach Police, they were originally not going to let anyone park overnight, but were quickly overwhelmed with the amount of people who showed up. 

Lincoyan Portus, who managed to get vaccinated Monday, explained he was turned away by police around 4 p.m. Sunday, but was determined and came back two hours later despite the confusion.

“I saw some people park here, park there, I was figuring out where to make the line, the police said no line and then some people said there is. Then I saw a big line so I went down there,” said Portus. 

He stayed there overnight, claiming he had to use the woods as a bathroom. 

It is a sacrifice he said he'd make again to get the shot. 

“It was really worth it, because it is like peace of mind,” said Portus. 

It’s a peace of mind Phillips is hoped to feel after camping out himself Monday night.

"I think it is worth more for me and my wife to be able to see our grandchildren and love on them then to be turned away just as we were this morning,” he said.

The city will offer 1,000 vaccines Tuesday morning. There is no announcement on when their next distribution will be.