December 4, 2025

By Jamie Towey

Ah, South Florida.

I was born in Miami so it’s in my blood. On the “pro” side, you’ve got gorgeous weather year-round, the enchanting Everglades, widespread convenience with gas, food, entertainment, and the ocean all within a 20-minute drive, and a burgeoning economy with new builds seemingly sprouting overnight in once-barren fields.

On the con side, you’ve got no seasons, Everglades emigrees (gators, snakes, and mosquitoes), uncanny homogeneity in the towns lining I-95 and I-75 which are almost indistinguishable from one another, plus a suburban sprawl that slowly is draining the mystic charm from the land of the unconquered Seminole.

Ask a stranger what they think of south Florida and it’s a coin toss – heads or tails, their reasons for love or loathing are the same.

I couldn’t help but entertain these thoughts over the weekend, as I was in Sarasota for Thanksgiving. My family spent significant parts of my childhood in Tallahassee on the panhandle, and later moved near Naples during my college years, so I enjoy mulling over the uniqueness of South Florida in comparison to other parts of the country. I did pinpoint two universal “pros” for the region (breathtaking sunsets and Publix), but this past trip I found myself noticing a feature that for many is a “no duh,” but for me is only just now coming into focus.

And I think this special characteristic offers a hopeful vision for all of America.

Everyone knows that Florida, particular its southern half, is subject to the migration patterns of snowbirds, the 183’ers. And of course, it’s a hot destination for retirees. I remember joking to my friends after moving to Naples that the city is a Chicago retirement community and Fort Lauderdale is a New York City suburb. Yet only now am I recognizing the intentionality with which this region of the country is designed, planned, and marketed.

Sure, the weather is great. No 80-year-old I know wants to sit through four months of seeing your own breath. But it’s more than just the weather that draws these folks. The streets are wide and well-lit. The houses are mostly single level. Restaurants close early. Communities are developed with convenience and ease of access in mind, and what’s more, this influx of snow birds and retirees triggered a surge in geriatricians, oncologists, senior living communities, hospice and home care organizations, and sundry services and occupations that cater to an older crowd. Our Five Wishes advance care planning program is used by many of these organizations and has been for three decades.

America is in the throes of an accelerating age wave and many fret about the challenges that will come with it (myself among them). Fear not. There is cause for hope. Take south Florida. I’m not making the state out to be a paradise (it’s expensive, it’s experiencing rapid growth, and your poodle could get eaten by a gator), but America would do well to adopt the Floridian.  South mixed-use development to accommodate the demographic changes now taking place and brings together the old and young in innovative ways.

South Florida isn’t alone with its intergenerational blending. Charlie Camosy, a wonderful bioethicist I have gotten to know, has talked about Pillars, a community in Lakeville, MN (the opposite of sunny South Florida) that hosts an assisted living and memory care community and a childcare center. The children and memory care residents (“grandfriends,” as they’re called) do arts and crafts, play, and learn together. This is not only heartwarming, it’s practical – children who may lack grandparents are paired with folks in their twilight years who may lack family, and both benefit from it.

Or, there’s the Glenner Alzheimer’s Family Center based out of San Diego, California that built a Town Square for its residents. The facility is modeled after a 1950s town, with a diner, Oldsmobiles, a typewriter-equipped city hall, and library all designed to make these folks feel like they’re back in their childhood days. Check out this video, it’s quite the sight!

We’re doomed by the age wave only if we don’t adjust our perspectives and change our priorities. South Florida, Pillars, and Glenner prove that not only can we help folks at the beginning or end of their later years in life, but we can thrive while doing so.

Now forgive me, it’s time I turn up the heat and gaze wistfully out my Falls Church, VA office window at the frostbitten ground and dream of warm sunsets over the Gulf. I miss the Sunshine State already.

(The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Aging with Dignity and/or its Board of Directors.)