President Trump supporters line up days before Orlando rally

ORLANDO, Fla. – Supporters started lining up outside the Amway Center more than 40 hours before President Donald Trump will announce his re-election bid in Orlando, WKMG reported. 

Eight Trump supporters started camping out Monday morning, with the first one showing up at 2:30 a.m. The rally is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Gary Beck, a Trump supporter from Panama City, was the first in line.

"There's going to be a bunch of people, and it's going to be pretty intense," Beck told News4Jax sister station WKMG. "The electricity is going to be high. It's time for America to get back on its feet and be made better than it's ever been before."

Trump tweeted Monday that the rally "looks to be setting records," with more than 100,000 ticket requests. The Amway Center seats 20,000.

"We are building large movie screens outside to take care of everybody," Trump tweeted.

The visit marks Trump's first campaign event in Orlando since he ended his 2016 presidential campaign with a "Thank You Tour" stop at the Central Florida Fairgrounds.

Trump's last visit to the Orlando area was in October 2018 when he spoke at the International Association of Chiefs of Police at the Orange County Convention Center.

Fierce fight

Trump's early strength in Florida on the night of the 2016 election was the first sign he was about to score an upset victory. In an otherwise bleak 2018 for Republicans, the state was again a bright spot.

But as another campaign heats up, Democrats aren't ceding the Sunshine State.

Democratic candidates have already visited to tap donors and connect with voters and will descend on Miami later this month for their first debates.

And Trump will return on Tuesday for his latest re-election announcement at a rally in Orlando.

The attention is recognition that, despite its expensive media markets and hyper-polarized politics, neither party can ignore Florida.

For Trump, there are few ways for him to remain in the White House without keeping Florida's 29 electoral votes.

What to know about Trump's visit

Ticket requests for the event have quadrupled the capability of the Amway Center, which holds 20,000 people. The president said in a tweet last week the event will be “the hottest of them all,” with 74,000 ticket requests already made for the event. He upped that number to 100,000 in a tweet Monday morning.

RELATED: President Trump to announce re-election bid at Orlando rally | 
President Trump says Orlando announcement 'hottest ticket of them all'

This will be Trump's first campaign event in Orlando since he ended his 2016 presidential campaign with a "Thank You Tour" stop at the Central Florida Fairgrounds.

Here's everything you need to know ahead of the rally.

A ticket does not guarantee entry

Anyone interested in attending the rally can click here to register for tickets, however, a ticket does not guarantee entry to the event, according to Trump 2020 campaign National Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany.

“Orlando rally entry is on a first-come, first-serve basis, so a ticket doesn’t necessarily guarantee entry," McEnany said in a statement to WKMG partner Florida Today.

Campaign security and U.S. Secret Service will close the entrance once the building reaches capacity, according to Amway Center.

Viewing outside Amway Center

"There will be screens outside the venue to watch the rally once capacity is reached,” McEnany said in her statement, which also noted that a "Trump tailgater" would be held outside starting at 10 a.m.

What not to bring

Leave your laser pointers and air horns at home. There is a list of items attendees are asked not to bring into the venue. Click here for the full list.

Timeline

Doors to the Amway Center open at 4 p.m. and the event starts at 8 p.m.

Parking

Parking around the Amway Center will be extremely limited due to security for the event. Attendees are encouraged to carpool, rideshare and take advantage of public transportation. Find more on that later on in the story.

The GEICO parking garage may not be available due to the needs of the president's campaign and U.S. Secret Service.

READ: Contract between President Trump, City of Orlando

Parking in city-owned garages will only be available for purchase on site on the day of the event on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the Amway Center.

View a map of the parking options here.

Sunrail

SunRail will operate its normal service schedule until 10 p.m. Tuesday. After 10 p.m., SunRail will operate three northbound and three southbound trains departing from the Church Street Station.

Here is the extended nighttime schedule for June 18:

Northbound Church Street Station Platform (north of South Street):

10:15 p.m.
10:30 p.m.
10:45 p.m.

Station stops at LYNX Central, AdventHealth, Winter Park, Maitland, Altamonte Springs, Longwood, Lake Mary, Sanford, DeBary

Southbound Church Street Station Platform (south of South Street):

10 p.m.
10:15 p.m.
10:45 p.m.
Station stops at Orlando Health/Amtrak, Sand Lake Road, Meadow Woods, Tupperware, Kissimmee/Amtrak, Poinciana

Traffic

Roads around Amway Center in downtown Orlando will be impacted by Trump's visit. The following roads immediately around the event center will be closed:

Central Boulevard
Anderson Street
South Street
Garland Avenue
Division Avenue
Church Street

View the road closure map here.

The U.S. Secret Service may close additional roads, including parts of I-4, if necessary.

Where to watch in Jacksonville

Jacksonville Young Republicans will have a Trump Campaign kickoff watch party.

The event begins at 7:15 p.m. at Mudville Grille at 13770 Beach Blvd.

For more information, click here.