The 90-degree weather on Sunday forced people to find a spot in the shade as they stood and sweated in the heat waiting to hear from one of this election season's most controversial figures, Republican vice presidential candidate, Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin.
At least a dozen were carted off by paramedics for heat stroke or exhaustion.
Still, that didn't deter the more than 20,000 people who gathered at the town square stage of The Villages, a 72,000-resident retirement community near Lady Lake, Fla., around 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
Palin addressed the crowd about the importance of voting for Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain.
Palin - along with her son Trig, her daughters Willow and Piper, and her husband, Todd Palin, self-proclaimed Alaskan "first dude" - emerged on the stage to a roar of wild adulation.
She offered little new information in her speech, but reminded Florida voters of their ability to swing the election.
"Florida, with your vote, we're going to win, and we're going to Washington to shake things up."
However, some in attendance said it was a small price to pay to see and hear the woman who they hope will be victorious in what was called one of the most important elections of their lives.
"Romney, Giuliani, even George Bush in 2004, none of them got a crowd this big or this excited when they visited," said Jeanne Holliday, an event volunteer and resident of The Villages. "There's something special about Sarah."
Retired naval officer Terry Marshal equated the massive speech's energy to a football game.
"I'm here," Marshal said, "and I've never been to a political rally before in my life."
For Marshal, it's all about the international issues, such as keeping nuclear weapons out of Iran and holding a hard line with a resurgent Russia.
Others support Palin for her anti-arbortion views, including about 20 UF students with the campus chapter of the Pro-Life Alliance who left for the event from the Reitz Union at 6:45 a.m. to get a prime viewing spot.
Amid shouts of "We love you Sarah," Palin's speech dipped into friendly banter as well as party-line policy. The Alaska governor also took jabs at Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who spoke in Jacksonville on Saturday.
"Truly there is only one man of wisdom to fix our government and economy: John McCain," she said.
