Pinellas Proclaims Aug. 21 Senior Citizen Day

CLEARWATER, FL – Nearly a quarter of Pinellas County’s population is older than 65 years old. At their most recent meeting, the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners honored its senior residents.

To recognize the contributions and achievements of seniors in Pinellas County, the board presented a proclamation declaring Monday, Aug. 21 as Senior Citizens Day. Senior Citizens Days is recognized on Aug. 21 nationally as well.

The proclamation recognized the contributions of seniors as pioneers in the development and progress in the county, their service to the United States as veterans and their achievements as community leaders, entrepreneurs, volunteers and mentors.

The commissioners presented the proclamation to Pinellas County Human Services, the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas and AARP during the meeting.

“We are grateful to our seniors for their dignity, grace and inspiration to all generations,” said Commission Chair Janet C. Long. “As an Age-Friendly Community, we are committed to making Pinellas County a Place that residents of all ages want to live, work, play and thrive.”

AARP named Pinellas County an Age Friendly Community earlier this year. The county joined a network of more than 400 communities around the world committed to providing greater health and well-being for people of all ages.

Pinellas County’s Age-Friendly initiative is a collaborative effort that involved multiple community partners focused on sustainable changes to create a livable community where everyone can stay active, engaged and healthy.

There are nearly 230,000 seniors age 65 or older living in Pinellas County according to 2016 census data. That’s about 24 percent of the county’s population of 960,730 as of 2016.

In the county’s 2017 Citizen Values Survey, 95 percent of residents recommended Pinellas as a place to retire, rating the county an 8 for the “Supportive services for an aging population” category out of an expected service level of 9.5.

Last year, Pinellas County launched a website provides a variety of helpful ways to connect seniors with services that make the county an age-friendly community. For more information, visit www.pinellascounty.org/humanservices/seniors.htm.

Photography provided courtesy of Pinellas County Marketing and Communications Department