UPDATE 4/12/21: Plant City Stadium is now officially being used as a drive-thru vaccination site. Appointments are mandatory to receive the shot and you can make yours online at the CDR Health Pro portal at patientportalfl.com.
Early next week, folks may be able to get vaccinated at Plant City Stadium following an agreement between city commissioners and Hillsborough County’s Office of Emergency Management.
During the last commission meeting, commissioners agreed to allow the county’s Office of Emergency Management to use the parking lot at the stadium as a COVID-19 vaccination Point of Dispensing for the general public. The user agreement has the stadium potentially beginning to be used as a site starting April 12 and the use period would continue as needed, possibly through Aug. 31.
Though the agreement has been approved, the details have yet to be finalized regarding the site. You can monitor the county’s COVID-19 portal for more information regarding the opening of the location. If enough vaccines are available to open the site, it will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday and will operate as a drive-thru.
Those who want to get vaccinated through the county need to sign up in advance. First, create an account with CDR Health Pro by visiting patientportalfl.com. Then select from the available appointments for your first dose and your second dose appointment will be automatically assigned.
Currently, the county’s public vaccination sites are distributing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
When you arrive, bring a government-issued form of identification, proof of Florida residency and a screenshot or printout of your appointment QR code. If applicable, also bring your proper work credentials. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that those who come to get a vaccine wear a mask.
Prior to the opening of the Plant City Stadium location, the three county sites were Vance Vogel Sports Complex in Gibsonton, Ed Radice Sports Complex in Tampa and TPepin’s Hospitality Centre in Tampa.
If you wish to get an appointment at a non-county facility, a variety of healthcare providers also offer the vaccine. You can book one at AdventHealth, BayCare, James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital, Suncoast Community Health, Tampa General and USF Health. Check in with each individual entity for its operating procedures.
Pharmacies are also administering free COVID-19 vaccines through the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. Make an appointment at CVS, Publix, Walmart, Walgreens and Winn-Dixie to get the vaccination through those outlets. There is also a federal-run site at the Tampa Greyhound Track, 755 E. Waters Ave., Tampa. At the federal-run FEMA vaccination site, only the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be administered to new appointments. They are, however, still offering the second dose for prior Pfizer appointments.
It’s important to note the Johnson & Johnson vaccine — as well as the Moderna vaccine — are not approved for children ages 16 and 17. If parents or legal guardians want to get their qualifying teenager vaccinated, they need to go through a county-operated or state-supported site that offers the Pfizer vaccine. Though the 16 and 17-year-olds are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, their parents and legal guardians must be present at the time the minor goes to get the vaccine. They also must fill out a consent form.
The county announced Tuesday that more than 43,000 first doses were available this week in Hillsborough, which doesn’t include the vaccinations being provided by pharmacies and other health care facilities. Last week, 41,820 people received a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County.
This week, vaccinations were made available for those age 16 and older as long as the individual vaccine was permitted for that age group. As of Tuesday, it was announced that approximately 30 percent of Hillsborough County residents age 16 or older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Approximately 15 percent of all Hillsborough County residents age 16 or older are now fully vaccinated. That number is expected to skyrocket by the next report as appointments have been filled all week long.