Florida Joins the Age-Friendly Network

In April 2019, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida — a state with more than 5.5 million people age 60-plus — would join be joining the AARP age-friendly network. In doing so, the state brings together the work of several agencies, including the Florida Department of Elder Affairs (DOEA), and the Florida State Department of Transportation.

The John A. Hartford Foundation and the Trust for America’s Health have signed on to work with the Florida Department of Health. In addition, AARP Florida and DOEA intend to cohost an annual age-friendly sharing symposium, providing an opportunity or statewide partners to share resources and build relationships.

“Coordinating and aligning age-friendly efforts into a statewide movement represents the natural progression of grassroots work that started over 20 years ago to help foster an environment that positively impacts the health and well-being of older adults," said DeSantis in the state’s network application. "We will promote and build on the age-friendly initiatives of the 24 Florida communities which have already earned the Age-Friendly designation, honor the diversity of communities across Florida, and ensure that the Age-Friendly designation is community-initiated, community-driven, and community-owned.”