TAMPA, Fla. — Early voting began in all counties in the immediate Tampa Bay area on Monday, and there was record turnout in some Bay area counties.

In Hillsborough, 24,063 people voted on Monday; In Pinellas, 8,448. Both all-time records.

For the first time, Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer is using both Raymond James Stadium and the Amalie Arena as early voting-sites. Spectrum Bay News 9 spent time at both polling locations on Monday, and saw small lines and ample parking available for registered voters who want to cast their vote there.

Among those who came to Amalie to vote was Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, who said she felt that “this is a really critical point in our nation’s history.”

When asked what specific races she thought were most important (other than the presidency), Castor said every race was important, “all the way down to Soil and Conservation.”

“You’re talking about the future of our city, of our county, our state and our nation,” she said. 

Although more than 2.5 million Floridians have already voted by mail, several voters said Monday it was important for them to vote in person.

“We would have waited in line for hours, and we wanted to vote in person today just because of all the talk about mail-in ballots,” said Tampa resident Gene Cave.

In August, it was reported that the U.S. Postal Service had warned 46 states that it could not guarantee all ballots cast by mail for the November election would arrive in time to be counted. 

DeShawn Love drove in from Thonotosassa to vote at the Amalie Arena. He says he had serious concerns about voting by-mail after reading about the reports about the United States Postal Service earlier this summer, and said it eliminated any thoughts about voting by mail.

“I didn’t trust it,” he said.

Hillsborough County used to be considered a bellwether county, but that’s no longer the case as it has moved to the left in recent years (Hillary Clinton defeated Donald Trump there in 2016 by more than six percentage points). Several voters we spoke with said that they were looking forward to seeing Joe Biden become president.

“I think Donald Trump is a disaster,” said Tampa resident Anne Gagliano. “Look at the state of our country right now. We need to get back to civility, and people knowing what they’re doing, and people just treating others with respect.”

Tampa resident Jeff Hartley says he doesn’t appreciate how the president has dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I don’t blame him for the virus. I blame him on the way it’s been handled,” he said. “I wish it were different.”

Davis Islands resident Pamela McGuire says she believes the president has handled the pandemic well.

“I don’t think he’s been given credit for handling it properly, but I think he has done so,” she said. 

Early voting will continue through November 1.