Community

The City of Hialeah, just north of Miami, is one of the 2025 AARP Florida Community Challenge Grant winners. As the second-largest city in Miami-Dade County, Hialeah is known for its rich Cuban-American heritage and vibrant Latino community. The city received $19,000 to enhance pedestrian safety and visibility along Palm Avenue by upgrading crosswalks with cultural inspiration and improving signage and street markings to make pedestrians more noticeable to drivers.

AARP Florida proudly congratulates Sarasota County on reaching a major milestone: 10 years of dedication as an Age-Friendly Community.

Looking for a fun, informative, and family-friendly outing this summer? Join AARP Florida at the Museum of Discovery and Science for a day of exploration, entertainment, and valuable resources.

Coconut Grove, a historic neighborhood in Miami-Dade County, is home to one of this year’s AARP Community Challenge Grant winners: Friends of the Commodore Trail. This five-and-a-half-mile nature trail has been a popular place for walking, biking, and socializing. However, it’s also much more to the community – this trail connects 13 parks and 12 schools, is a wildlife corridor, and gives neighbors a way to meet each other.

In Florida’s southwest region, the town of Port Charlotte, known for its beaches, outdoor events, and a community of warm people, is now also home to one of the 2025 AARP Community Challenge Grant winners! Peace River Community Housing Partners (PORCH), a local nonprofit, was awarded $16,000 to address the need for affordable housing among older adults in the city.

Tiffany Jeffers is originally from Baltimore, but in Florida, she’s recognized as the unapologetic heartbeat of the Black community in Osceola County. Her organization, the Black Empowerment & Community Council (BECC), founded in 2024, has quickly cemented itself into the fabric of Central Florida—and we're proud to share that BECC is one of just 10 recipients of AARP Florida’s 2025 Community Challenge grant. In a short time, the organization has made a powerful impact by connecting, uplifting, and advocating for the local community.

One of the core tenants of AARP's Livable Communities initiative is providing everyone, regardless of ability, the opportunity to age safely and securely in their own homes. In Jacksonville, a local nonprofit — The Arc, Jacksonville — believes the same. This organization is making incredible strides in advocating for individuals with intellectual and developmental differences, and they are one of 10 winners of the 2025 Community Challenge grant program in Florida!

At the crossroads of Florida's State Route 70 and U.S. Route 17 lies Arcadia, Florida — a small, rural town and one of the winners of AARP Florida's 2025 Community Challenge Grant, a program which funds innovative projects that inspire change in areas such as public places, housing, transportation, and more.

10 communities across Florida are getting a boost in their work to become more livable for residents of all ages.