Volusia County offers gift cards in hopes of boosting vaccination rate

Daytona Beach paying residents to get vaccinated

The City of Daytona Beach is paying their residents to get vaccinated.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The City of Daytona Beach is holding three clinics next week in hopes of increasing the vaccination rate in the county. 

"In Volusia County, it’s somewhere, I think, 56% and we would like to see that number get closer to 75, and so we have a ways to go," said Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry.

Volusia County residents will get a $50 gift card per vaccine dose for a total of $100 for the two-shot Moderna and Pfizer series. 

Mayor Henry said the city and county have pushed the vaccine out as much as possible. 

He says he thinks it’s a lack of trust leading to the hesitancy surrounding the shot.

"So I don’t see the availability in any way as an issue, it’s just a matter of helping to dispel some of the myths and negative press that has surrounded the vaccine," he said. 

Mayor Henry said the new incentive was made possible through private funds, including partnerships in the business community.

He said a higher vaccination rate is a win for all.

"It also helps us as it relates to businesses, keeping the economy open, keeping our hospitals from being flooded with sick people," he said.