Where to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Central Florida.

Florida’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts have expanded this week to include adults under age 65 who are medically vulnerable as well as educators of all ages and law-enforcement officers and firefighters age 50 and older. They join Florida residents 65 and older, front-line health-care workers, military veterans who receive care through the Department of Veteran’s Affairs and nursing home residents and staff in being eligible for the vaccine. But not every group that’s eligible can go to every site. Federal vaccination sites — including the FEMA location at Valencia College’s West Campus, 1800 S. Kirkman Road in Orlando — as well as pharmacies at participating Publix, Walmart and CVS stores announced this week they will vaccinate teachers, bus drivers and other staff at K-12 schools regardless of age, following priorities from the Biden administration. The federal site is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. You can register at MyVaccine.fl.gov or call 1-866-201-3604 — but you also can go to the site without an appointment.

There are also federal satellite vaccine sites in Central Florida, each able to administer up to 500 vaccines a day. They include a walk-up site at the Englewood Recreation Center, 6123 La Costa Drive in Orlando, and the St. Cloud Civic Center, 3001 17th St. in St. Cloud, both open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Saturday. A drive-through site at Kelly Park, 400 E. Kelly Park Rd. in Apopka, opens March 7 to March 10. Note that these sites will be first-come, first-served only — so appointments will not be accepted. Only the federal sites, retail pharmacies, hospitals and some community clinics are currently able to vaccinate residents who qualify as medically vulnerable. Residents should bring a Florida COVID-19 Determination of Extreme Vulnerability form, signed by their doctor, that can be downloaded from the Florida Department of Health website.

Walmart is operating a vaccine drive-through site for eligible residents at its store at 3101 Princeton Ave. in Orlando through mid-March. Appointments are required and limited. Sign up at walmart. com/covidvaccine.

Publix will reopen its vaccination appointment portal Monday, March 8, at 7 a.m., and like previous openings, the available slots are expected to fill quickly. The company is administering the vaccine at its pharmacies in Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and Volusia counties.

Vaccinations are also underway at several hundred other locations across the state — including select Walmart, Sam’s Club and Winn-Dixie stores — and at select CVS Health and its Navarro Discount Pharmacy and CVS Pharmacy y más, which cater to Hispanic consumers. (Appointments were filled at all Central Florida stores as of Friday evening.)

Florida offers a statewide preregistration system that will notify registrants when appointments are available in their area. Florida residents can visit myvaccine.fl.gov/ to sign up. Once appointments are available, individuals will be contacted by phone, text or email.

Note:

Anyone seeking the vaccination will need to provide documentation of being a Florida resident or a front-line healthcare worker providing services in Florida. Examples of accepted documentation include a valid Florida driver’s license or Florida identification card or any two of the following:

◼A deed, mortgage, monthly mortgage statement, mortgage payment booklet or residential rental or lease agreement.

◼A utility hookup or work order that is not more than 2 months old.

◼A utility bill that is not more than 2 months old.

◼Mail from a bank or other financial institution — including checking, savings, or investment account statements — that is not more than 2 months old.

◼Mail from a government agency, such as a tax bill showing a Florida address, that is not more than 2 months old.

The list below is the latest county-by-county information for Central Florida, but vaccine availability can change quickly. Please check the sites below and look for the latest at OrlandoSentinel.com/coronavirus for last-minute updates.

Caution: Beware of scams. Do not fill out Eventbrite vaccine registration forms unless they are provided through a county’s website or the links in this list, and do not register for a vaccination appointment that requires payment. However, some providers ask for insurance information.

Brevard

State-operated sites: COVID-19 vaccinations from the Florida Department of Health in Brevard are available on an appointment-only, drive-through basis for those who meet the state’s eligibility requirements. Those obtaining a first dose appointment for the Moderna vaccine will automatically be scheduled for the second dose 28 days from the initial vaccination date.

Pre-register for vaccine appointments through the state’s sign-up system at myvaccine.fl.gov or by calling 866-201-5420 (or 833-4761525 for the hearing-impaired). You will be notified when appointments are available.

The county is using its clinic in Viera, at 2555 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, to administer the vaccine.If possible, review the COVID Vaccine Fact Sheet and print and complete the screening questions on the COVID-19 Vaccine Screening and Consent Form prior to your appointment. This will help speed up the process.

For more information: brevard.floridahealth.gov.

Other vaccine providers in Brevard: Publix, Walmart and Winn-Dixie are administering vaccines through the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.

Lake

State-operated sites: The state Department of Health in Lake County is offering free COVID-19 immunizations at the former Sears store in Lake Square Mall by appointment only. Residents needing their first dose should pre-register at http://myvaccine.fl.gov or by phone at 866-201-6909 (or 833- 476-1031 for TTY users).

First vaccine doses will no longer be available at the Amazon Distribution Site, 7453 Republic Dr., in Groveland. Due to overwhelming demand, that site will be used strictly for administering second doses.

Also, the state will continue to provide second doses of the vaccine at St. Patrick’s Church, 6803 Old U.S. Highway 441 in Mount Dora. Recipients must present photo identification and the CDC vaccination card provided to them during their first-dose vaccination. If you are not contacted at least 24 hours before your second shot is due, call 1-866-201-6909 or register again.

For more information: 1-833540-2052, text COVIDUPDATE to 888777 or visit lake. florida.gov.

Other vaccine providers in Lake: Publix, Winn-Dixie.

Orange

State-operated sites: The Florida Department of Health in Orange County is using the Orange County Convention Center to vaccinate eligible Florida residents who book an appointment through its vaccine portal. You can also sign up for alerts to be notified when vaccine is available. Vaccinations are limited to residents 65 and older, long-term-care staff, front-line health-care workers and fire fighters and law-enforcement officers age 50 and older as well as all pre-K through 12 educators, staff and childcare workers of any age.

Visit ocfl.net/Vaccine for registration information, call 1-844-770-8548 or e-mail COVID19Support@cdrmaguire.com. Residents trying to get an appointment are encouraged to pre-register.

Seniors who lack transportation may qualify for a free ride from LYNX. You must have a scheduled appointment at the Orange County Convention Center before calling 407-8363111 to request a scheduled ride.

Formoreinformation: http:// orange.floridahealth.gov/, 407858-1400, download the OCFL Alert app, or text OCFLCOVID to 888777 to receive updates on your cell phone.

Other vaccine providers in Orange: Publix, Walmart, federal/state sites (see above).

Osceola State-operated sites:

The Florida Department of Health in Osceola County uses the statewide pre-registration system to make vaccine appointments. Go to myvaccine. fl.gov or call 1-866-201-6507 to pre-register. The shots are being administered at Centro Cristiano Dios De Pactos Church, 1130 Simmons Rd., Kissimmee.

Anyone who received an initial dose of vaccine from FDOH-Osceola should be contacted to schedule a second dose appointment. These individuals are asked to monitor their email and not to submit the COVID-19 vaccination appointment request form. If you have not been contacted two days prior to the second dose due date, call 407-552-0120 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The county also is partnering with Prescriptions Unlimited in St. Cloud to provide vaccinations to homebound patients 65 years and older and home health providers. Providers seeking vaccinations for their staff or patients may call 407-892-7166 or email covid19@unlimitedrx.com to schedule an appointment. Appointments are required.

For more information: osceola.floridahealth.gov/.

Other vaccine providers in Osceola: Publix, Walmart.

Polk

State-operated sites: The county is continuing to use its own vaccination enrollment process at https://register. polk.health instead of opting into the statewide registration system. Enrollments can be made online or by calling the COVID-19 Vaccination Call Center at 863-298-7500. Appointment availability is based on the supply of vaccine.

The shots are administered by appointment only at 1290 Golfview Ave, Bartow.

For more information: floridahealth.gov/alerts.html

Other vaccine providers in Polk: Publix, Walmart.

Seminole

State-operated sites: Seminole County uses its own vaccine reservation system through EventBrite.com. Appointments are currently sold out through March 13. Eligible Florida residents include those 65 and older as well as front-line healthcare workers. Register at EventBrite.com or call 407-665-0000.

The county is using the former Sears store at the Oviedo Mall, 1360 Oviedo Mall Blvd., to administer the vaccine. Please bring identification with your birth date to your appointment for check in. Non-hospital healthcare workers should also present a valid proof of employment such as an employer ID or pay stub, etc.). Proof of Florida residency or semi-residency is also required. In addition, the county is operating a mobile clinic in Oviedo on Friday.

For more information: PrepareSeminole.org.

Other vaccine providers in Seminole: Publix, Walmart and Sam’s Club.

Volusia

State-operated sites: Volusia continues to hold its vaccination clinics at the county fairgrounds in DeLand for residents 65 and older, front-line health workers, long-term health-care staff and educators, fire fighters and law-enforcement officers 50 and older. Pre-register at myvaccine.fl.gov or 866-2017314. Once preregistered, individuals will receive a call when vaccine appointments become available.

For more information: volusia.org/coronavirus or call 1-866-345-0345.

Other vaccine providers for Volusia:

Publix, Winn-Dixie, Daytona Beach VA Multispecialty

Community Based Outpatient Clinic.

AdventHealth

All appointments have been booked for first-round shots, but those due for a second shot will be vaccinated as scheduled. Community healthcare providers; employees’ families who are 65 years and older; patients of AdventHealth Medical Group who are 65 years and older and a small number of patients deemed extremely vulnerable.

For more information: To receive alerts about vaccine availability, visit www.CoronavirusVaccineAlerts.com.

Orlando Health

No first-dose appointments are available. If you received your first vaccination at an Orlando Health facility and still need a second-dose, you should have been contacted to schedule that appointment. If you haven’t, call (877) 321-2684.

For more information: Check orlandohealth.com/Covid-19/ vaccine for updates.

Orlando VA

The Orlando VA Healthcare Center is offering COVID-19 vaccines for all veterans who receive care through the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, regardless of age, at its Orlando and Lake Baldwin facilities.

The Viera and Daytona Beach VA clinics operate by appointment only for veterans 65 and older, veterans who are frontline essential workers and those with underlying medical conditions, as determined by the CDC. You must already receive care at VA or be eligible to receive care at VA in order to receive the COVID-19 Vaccine.

The Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Nona is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. for appointments and walk-ins. The Lake Baldwin VA Medical Center is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m for appointments and 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for walk-ins.

To schedule an appointment, call 407-631-0499 Monday through Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.

For more information:

Visit orlando.va.gov/services/ covid-19-vaccines.asp or call 407-631-0499.

This list is updated online regularly as information becomes available.

TALLAHASSEE — The Florida House on Friday passed two COVID-19 bills that Republican leaders made a priority for the 2021 legislative session, as they seek to protect businesses from lawsuits and crackdown on vaccination scams.

House members voted 83-31 to approve a bill (HB 7), sponsored by Rep. Lawrence McClure, R-Dover, that would shield businesses from lawsuits related to COVID-19. Republicans touted the legislation as a must-pass bill to protect Florida’s economy and return people to work, but many Democrats decried it as being overly broad and eliminating the public’s access to courts.

House Minority Co-leader Evan Jenne, D-Dania Beach, said procedural hurdles that plaintiffs would have to overcome to file COVID-19-related lawsuits are “so gargantuan they invoke names like Everest, Kilimanjaro and Denali.”

But Rep. Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, encouraged lawmakers to support the bill, saying it would allow businesses to operate safely without the fear of getting sued.

“This bill is about jobs. It’s about jobs for those businesses and those employees and those people who are ready to get back to work,” Leek said. “Pass this bill, and let them get back to work.”

The House also voted 113-0 to approve a measure (HB 9), sponsored by Rep.

Ardian Zika, R-Land O’ Lakes, that seeks to prevent scams that have taken place during the pandemic.

The bill, a priority of House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, stems from people using authentic-looking websites to run scams that purportedly offer access to COVID19 vaccines or personal protective equipment.

It would lead to felony charges for people who run the scams and would authorize the attorney general to seek injunctions to shut down websites or other platforms that are used to spread fraudulent information.

Under the liability bill, plaintiffs would be required to obtain affidavits from physicians to file COVID19 lawsuits against businesses. The physicians would be required to attest that plaintiffs’ COVID-19 infections were due to the conduct of the defendants, something that bill opponents say physicians aren’t qualified to do.

Additionally, the bill would authorize judges to dismiss lawsuits if they determine that defendants made a “good faith effort to substantially comply with authoritative or controlling government-issued health standards or guidance at the time the cause of action accrued.”

The Senate has been moving forward with a similar bill (SB 72), and, ultimately, the two chambers would have to work out any differences before a bill could be sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis.