NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. – For 20 years, Ted and Mary Cayford have made the annual journey from Stevens Point, WI, to Tampa Bay. Most recently, that's meant spending the time from just after Christmas to around April in New Port Richey. 

"We've gotten to know some people down there, and they're our friends. It's just like a second home," said Ted Cayford. 

This year, the pandemic has required them to take some new considerations into account. For example, they plan to stay just one night in a motel on the drive down instead of two. And then there's their health.

"My wife has lupus, and I have diabetes. We're both over 65 – can't tell by looking at me, though," said Cayford. 

While the Cayfords may be young at heart, those conditions can have serious implications when it comes to COVID-19.

"My wife's lupus medication suppresses her immune system. So, we think we need to get the vaccine as soon as possible," Cayford explained.

Cayford was just one of the people who reached out to Spectrum Bay News 9 about where seasonal residents will fall in the state's vaccine distribution plan.

"Do you have any idea where the elderly non-residents will fit in? Must they get vaccinated in their home state or can they receive the vaccine in the wintering state? And if we can be vaccinated in Florida, will we be at the bottom of the list after all the permanent residents have been vaccinated?" Cayford wrote in an e-mail.

We reached out to the Florida Division of Emergency Management. Press Secretary Samantha Bequer responded via email that, after the initial round of vaccines are distributed to the most at-risk populations, which include residents and staff of long term care facilities and high-risk, high-exposure front line health care workers, the state will work to make the vaccine accessible to additional populations.

"At this time. the state's priorities include protecting the lives of Floridians and making the vaccine accessible to Floridians," Bequer wrote. "As we receive additional allocations and the vaccine becomes more available, the state will work to expand vaccine availability to additional populations in the state."

In a second email, she wrote, “The state is committed to offering vaccines to all Floridians and visitors. Non-Florida residents will be eligible to receive the vaccine in Florida.”

"From what I've been told, and for what makes sense, it's going to be based on residence," said Dr. Jay Wolfson, a public health professor and senior associate dean of the University of South Florida's Morsani College of Medicine. 

Wolfson said based on discussions with friends and colleagues in the vaccine distribution and clinical systems, as well as those participating in advisory roles, it appears the next stages of the rollout will be contingent on the supply of the vaccine that's available and the distribution plan. 

"So, if your primary residence is Ohio or Michigan or Wisconsin, you're probably going to be in line to get it there unless you have a regular residence here, as well, and you have a physician down here who will be able to get you into the queue once you, as an eligible person based on your age, comorbidities, and other factors, fall into that line," Wolfson said.

Cayford said he and his wife questioned whether they'd make the trip this year. They spoke with their doctors, and he said while his wife's were a little hesitant to give the okay, the couple assured them they would be careful.

"We're going to be very careful on the way down," Cayford said. "We're going to try not to make many stops. Once we get there, we're going to stay put. But it is a concern."

Wolfson said those getting the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccines will also likely need to get both shots in the same state.