It was two tales of the same pandemic as both presidential candidates courted Florida voters in Tampa on Thursday.
Former Vice President Joe Biden held an evening campaign event at the Florida State Fairgrounds. Earlier, President Donald Trump addressed thousands at a mid-day rally outside Raymond James Stadium.
Biden's rally at the fairgrounds was a ‘drive-in’ event where attendees are encouraged to stay within touching distance of their vehicles. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and fellow Democrats warmed up the small crowd, select people sitting in, on or next to roughly 100 cars.
Steve Newborn/WUSF Public Media
That’s a distinct contrast from President Donald Trump's rally in a parking lot outside Raymond James Stadium. It started just after noon and thousands of people packed the north parking lot lawn during an unseasonably hot day.
Keeping a 6-foot distance wasn't an option for the Trump supporters cheering for the president to win a second term. And while red ‘Make America Great Again’ hats were in abundance, masks were few and far between.
Larry Jensen from St. Petersburg brought a mask but said he didn't feel the need to wear it since he was standing near the back of the crowd. He works for a company that transports yachts and praised how the Trump administration helped his business during the pandemic.
"When everything was shutdown back in April, we got the PPP money and that really helped us,” Jensen said. “We kept everybody on our payroll the whole time and since then we've hired more people so it's all good."
‘It's all good’ was a sentiment shared by many at the rally. Several people at the event said they were not concerned about the risk of contracting the coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages people to wear face coverings and maintain a social distance of 6 feet from others.
Attendees remarked on the positive energy they felt being surrounded by others who shared their political views, like Cara Bowman of Venice. She worked as a nurse for 40 years and said she believes the COVID-19 pandemic is overblown.
Stephanie Colombini/WUSF Public Media
"People from other states literally think everybody in Florida is getting sick and dropping dead because of the propaganda they hear on the other news stations that are lies and fake news,” Bowman said.
As of this week, Florida health officials report that coronavirus has infected nearly 800,000 Floridians and killed more than 16,600.
But while those numbers did not seem to weigh heavily on the people at the rally, heat-related illnesses did. There were frequent calls from the crowd Thursday for medical assistance. Standing close to others for hours in the hot Florida sun caused some attendees to collapse. Gov. Ron DeSantis stopped speaking twice to help direct medics.
Daylina Miller/WUSF Public Media
The governor's speech, and remarks from Attorney General Ashley Moody, Sen. Joe Gruters, the head of the Florida GOP and Trump described the pandemic as ‘nearly over.’
And like many in the crowd, they didn't wear masks, and mocked Biden for quote "hiding" throughout the campaign and hosting socially distanced rallies.
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Tampa Appearances By Trump, Biden Are A Contrast In Crowds, Views - WUSF News
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