South Florida leaders want to head off ‘silver tsunami’ aging crisis

South Florida leaders are urging a state planning council to tackle the impending “silver tsunami” as concerns grow for retirees’ well-being as they age.

At a recent meeting of the South Florida Regional Planning Council, chairman Steve Geller, who is also a Broward County commissioner, said he would push for aging issues to be discussed at a broader conference this fall where experts could guide policy suggestions. The conference will include Palm Beach, St. Lucie, Monroe, Broward, Miami-Dade, Martin and Indian River counties, which is about one-quarter of the state’s population.

Geller said more attention is needed to deal with the anticipated wave of older Americans who are facing retirement without a pension like their parents relied on, and face unique transportation and healthcare problems as they age. The median personal income for people age 65 and older is $29,740, according to the federal Administration for Community Living.

“I don’t think we are prepared for it,” Geller said after the meeting.

Among the issues he is asking the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council to consider as part of the silver tsunami discussion:

— Create a pension supplemental plan . Americans have traditionally relied on pension plans, as well as Social Security benefits and savings to pay their bills in retirement. But the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in a 2022 study released last year found only 15% of private industry workers had access to a defined benefit plan, compared with 86% of state and local government workers.

Those retiring without pensions or adequate savings will be “woefully underprepared” and “some people will never be able to retire,” Geller predicted.

Many states have created plans for workers who don’t get one through their employers, such as CalSavers in California and the Minnesota Secure Choice Retirement Program where workers can opt to make tax-deferred contributions.

— Create changes in building codes to encourage dedicated senior housing. Geller said he’d like to consider “granny flats” to allow housing additions so multiple generations can live together “to encourage senior-friendly housing.”

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More than 12 million renters across the United States are “severely” cost-burdened as of 2022, which is the latest data available, or paying more than half their income for rent and utilities, according to a January study by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies.

Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach and Miami constitute one study cluster with nearly 35% of renters considered “severely” cost-burdened.

In addition, there are an estimated 869 seniors ages 55-64 and another 417 seniors older than 65 in Broward who are homeless, according to a recent presentation by county officials dealing with upcoming homeless laws .

Broward County said it is aggressively encouraging construction — and helping fund — affordable housing for seniors. Projects in the works now include: Ekos Pembroke Park, 150 units in Pembroke Park; Hollywood Vista, 118 units in Hollywood; Paramount Place, 110 units in Hollywood; Boulevard Gardens, 92 units in the unincorporated county; and Pantry Lofts, 90 units in Fort Lauderdale, Ralph Stone , Broward County’s director of the Housing Finance Division, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Tuesday.

— Meeting the transportation needs of an aging population including new signage, changing paratransit to add low floors and improved audio and visual announcements, more community shuttles and vans, and “safe transitioning” for seniors to stop driving.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation reported last year that about 5% of nonelderly adults did not get needed health care in the past 12 months because of difficulty finding transportation.

Geller also said there could be a consideration to create crosswalks that give seniors more time to get across the street.

— Tackle health care issues for older Americans. The costs of long-term care average more than $100 per day nationwide for a four-hour daily home health aide. Yet “the majority of older adults will need these services, and those with very low incomes, who are most likely to require them, have the fewest resources to pay for them,” according to a November study by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. About 85% of seniors age 75 and older in Miami-Dade and Broward who live alone cannot afford daily home care on top of housing and other necessities, according to the report.

Along with silver tsunami issues, Geller offered two other options for consideration for the October planning agenda: financing water quality infrastructure , which would be his priority, and workforce training for “technology-displaced” workers.

Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.com . Follow on X, formerly Twitter, @LisaHuriash