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Grants Boost Safety, Livability

Efforts focus on fitness and health

Bruce Seeman,

AARP

Published November 01, 2026

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In the city of Gulfport, QR codes posted on pedestrian signs will help older residents navigate downtown walking trails that stretch to the iconic Williams Pier.

In St. Cloud, new bike racks are being installed to encourage pedaling between the business core and the park at Lake Tohopekaliga.

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And in Jacksonville, new benches along a 1,000-foot trail in the Castaway Island Preserve will allow hikers to take a break and appreciate the graceful flights of resident herons and egrets.

In each case, the improvements are made possible by AARP Community Challenge grants. Since 2017, the organization has funded more than 2,800 grants nationwide, investing $32.5 million in livability projects. AARP nearly doubled its annual investment in 2026 by awarding $8.3 million to support about 750 quick-action projects. In Florida this year, 23 grants worth just over $231,000 were awarded.

Those Florida grants fund diverse projects aimed at improving the daily lives of older Floridians. Among them: the construction of home-entry ramps in Lakeland; a fully equipped technology library and classroom for older adults in Melbourne; new grab bars, railings and improved lighting to prevent at-home falls in Ruskin; and a free ride program to help older adults run errands and get to appointments in Wellington.

Meanwhile, the projects in Gulfport, St. Cloud and Jacksonville tackled a common objective: helping older residents remain active, healthy and independent.

Fred Richards, executive director of the Timucuan Parks Foundation in Jacksonville, says the AARP grant has added important momentum to efforts to spruce up Castaway Island Preserve. “There’s tons of empirical research and evidence out there” indicating that exposure to green spaces significantly improves physical, mental and cognitive health, he says.

“I think this is going to be a real big win for our area,” he adds.

In 2026, a review of 27 studies published in the scientific journal BMC Public Health concluded that exposure to the outdoors “demonstrated a protective role against metabolic diseases and was positively associated with enhanced life satisfaction among older adults.” The analysis also concluded exposure to green space was associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and depression.

Pushing Fitness

In Gulfport — just west of St. Petersburg — about two-thirds of residents are 50 or older. The AARP grant helps fortify “wayfinding” along a downtown walking trail that’s expanding from 1.3 miles to more than 9 miles. Additions include directional signs on unposted trail segments; QR code signage to connect walkers to an online trail hub; handrails to support walkers navigating elevated berms; and large maps at key trail sites.

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Brad Bruner, a volunteer member of the city’s senior advisory committee, says volunteers were able to get some basic signage up — but they decided the signs were too far apart.

“We needed more to have them closer together, and we needed more with QR codes,” he says. That way, walkers could navigate the trail by accessing a map on their phones.

The goal in the Orlando-area town of St. Cloud, meanwhile, was to send a signal to cyclists: Bike riding is encouraged here. New bike racks adorned with artistic depictions of the city’s official bird and flower — the Florida sandhill crane and the Amaryllis Minerva — are set for the nine-block bike path that links the St. Cloud downtown and Lakefront Park. “People don’t even realize, in some cases, that we have a bike path,” says Paula Stark, executive director of St. Cloud Main Street.

And in Jacksonville’s Castaway Island Preserve, three new AARP-funded benches will provide relief for anyone needing rest along a trail to marshland overlooks. The benches are part of a larger effort that envisions refurbished boardwalks, a new playground, shaded bump-outs and improved signage.

Richards, the Timucuan Parks Foundation executive director, says the benches are central to chipping away at older adults’ reluctance to embrace the outdoors.

“For a lot of seniors, they might be a little skeptical or hesitant to go to a park,” Richards says. “‘How long is it until there’s a rest break? Is there a shaded area? Is there water?’ So, a lot of people just avoid the exercise completely.”

Understanding those and other potential barriers, Richards says, is an essential first step to employing the many strategies now emerging to encourage active lifestyles among older Americans.

“There’s just so much to explore here,” he says.

More AARP resources on communities

Bruce Seeman has been a writer and editor for more than 30 years, including at outlets in Florida, Virginia, Colorado and Washington, D.C.

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