ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Once again showing how important Florida and specifically the Tampa Bay area market is for Donald Trump’s re-election efforts, Vice President Mike Pence returns to Tampa today as part of his “Faith in America” tour.

The VP is scheduled to participate in a series of events in the region.

That includes a visit to a women’s health care clinic, a trip to the Starkey Road Baptist Church in Largo, and then finishes up with a trip to Clearwater. 

It’s Pence’s second trip to Florida in the past nine days, and comes just five days after President Trump flew into Tampa for a couple of campaign events and a fundraiser.

The Joe Biden campaign and Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez issued statements early Wednesday ahead of the Pence visit.

“Floridians do not need another photo-op from Vice President Pence, especially with the risk of another visit that fails to meet public health guidelines to keep Floridians safe,” said Biden press secretary Kate Bedingfield. “The state continues to see some of the highest number of cases in the nation right now and that is in large part due to Donald Trump’s failures. This pandemic has taken the lives of over 7,000 Floridians and Donald Trump’s response this week: ‘It is what it is.’

"The truth is President Trump has made the situation worse, whether it’s been by suggesting Americans inject disinfectant or publicly admitting he asked his own administration to slow COVID-19 testing down to make him look better. Every step of the way, Vice President Pence has followed in lockstep as President Trump’s number one cheerleader and defender. Floridians deserve real, presidential leadership - someone who has a plan to get us through this pandemic and beyond, someone who the American people can trust to be honest with them, and someone who will be a president for all Americans. They will get that in Joe Biden.”

The Democratic National Committee is running digital ads on the Tampa Bay Times website throughout the day as Pence visits the region.

“Nothing Pence says today can change Trump’s total incompetence in responding to the coronavirus -- it didn’t need to be this bad, it’s getting worse, and his failure in handling this crisis effectively has cost Floridians their jobs and lives,” said DNC Chair Tom Perez in a statement. “Instead of this photo-op, Pence should be listening to the voices of Floridians who are still suffering as COVID spikes, or the Floridians of faith who are repulsed by Trump’s efforts to strip away health care coverage from millions in the midst of a pandemic. In November, Floridians of every faith and political persuasion will hold this administration accountable by voting Trump and Pence out of office.”

Meanwhile, President Trump is now encouraging Floridians to vote by mail after months of criticizing the idea. 

His tweet and comments on Tuesday come as the Democratic lead over Republicans in Florida in vote-by-mail requests has now grown to more than 592,000, according to the Florida Division of Elections website.