Press

AARP Florida Director Jeff Johnson warned hundreds of thousands of older Floridians Wednesday that they could lose thousands of dollars in income-tax deductions next year if Congress moves ahead with a U.S. House plan to impose a “health tax.”

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. -- AARP Florida State Director Jeff Johnson issued the following statement commending Duke Energy Florida for stepping back from the consumer-unfriendly practice of utility advanced-cost recovery as part of a settlement agreement now under consideration by the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC).

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Join AARP Tallahassee and the Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department for the Slow Roll Boomer Bike Ride through downtown Tallahassee.

As Floridians regroup from Hurricane Irma, it is clear that the state’s system for protecting frail older residents failed after Hurricane Irma. Ten people died in a tragic chain of miscommunication and inexplicable failure to act after a Broward County rehabilitation center lost cooling for more than 150 residents for three days during Hurricane Irma. Astonishingly, a fully functional hospital, where air conditioning was available, was right across the street.

By Jeff Johnson

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

St. Petersburg, Fla. – America’s grayest state ranks a disappointing fourth from the bottom in the nation in meeting the long-term care needs of older residents and people with disabilities, according to a new, comprehensive state-by-state study.

St. Petersburg, Fla. – AARP Florida Advocacy Manager Jack McRay said AARP is disappointed in a 9-6 House committee vote Tuesday to allow Florida investor-owned utilities to shift the cost of out-of-state natural-gas exploration and development projects to ratepayers, while simultaneously collecting a return for itself on ratepayer-funded costs.

Under the current U.S. House plan to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), about 454,000 Floridians age 50-64 enrolled and receiving tax credits in the ACA Marketplace would see higher health-coverage premiums than they pay under current law, more than in any other state, an AARP analysis shows.