In 2002, the City of Clearwater affirmed its support of the State of Florida’s Elder Ready initiative and issued a resolution to make Clearwater “Elder Ready.” Clearwater established a diverse, interdisciplinary committee to address this issue and completed the required “Report Card for Well and Frail Elders.” In 2006, the City of Clearwater created the Office on Aging within the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. Kerry Marsalek, Office on Aging Manager, was tasked with expanding the city’s Communities for a Lifetime effort through the development and implementation of an Aging Well Master Plan (i.e. AWMP) and a comprehensive older adult needs assessment. In 2006, the Aging Well Survey was conducted by the Florida Research Center which surveyed 500 Clearwater residents in the following topics: Housing and Transportation; Health and Health Care; Financial Services and Employment Issues; Preparation for Emergencies; Leisure, Recreation, Volunteering, Senior Services and Demographics. This survey provided the foundation for the Aging Well Master Plan which focused on 5 areas: 1) Optimize resources that serve older adults; 2) Increase older adults’ access to essential services; 3) Maximize older adults’ independence; 4) Promote older adults’ health and wellness and 5) Encourage older adults’ social and civic engagement.

A major milestone of the AWMP is the State of Florida’ Department of Elder Affairs grant to the City of Clearwater of $727,500 to establish a multi-service senior center in Clearwater called the Aging Well Center. The Clearwater Office on Aging offers diverse programs through the Aging Well Center and other city sites to promote health and wellness, education, creative expression and community resources. The Clearwater Office on Aging serves as a resource to the community for aging related information, support for family caregivers, training professionals, community leaders and students; and for developing innovative approaches to address aging issues. In the area of Health and wellness, the city offers 9 evidence-based programs for older adults that provide proven ways through defined research to promote wellness and manage or reduce falls and health concerns. The city partners with BayCare Health System to provide wellness education and screenings. Additionally, since 2011, the City of Clearwater has contracted with Tivity Health to provide SilverSneakers and Prime wellness programs at eight Municipal Recreation sites. In the area of Transportation, Neighborly Care Network, Senior Citizens Services, and the cities of Dunedin and Clearwater partnered to launch a transportation option for area older adults called the EZride service in which Neighborly Care Network provides a prepaid fee-for-service, advance-scheduled, door-to-door transportation program. Programs on available transportation options are conducted annually and the city has adopted a Complete Streets initiative through the Planning and Development Department.

In the area of Financial Security, the city increased the homestead exemption to $25,000 for qualified Clearwater seniors age 65 or older; offers unbiased financial workshops; partners with the State of Florida’s SHINE Program to offer unbiased health insurance counseling; refers older adults to the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco Pinellas, Inc. Helpline for financial triage. In the area of Life Safety, the Office on Aging has worked with other city departments (i.e. Police and Fire Department, Emergency Management), the Florida Department of Financial Services and the Pinellas County Consumer Protection Agency to expand senior life safety programs in Clearwater. Programs offered include hurricane awareness, crime prevention, safety phone program and the File of Life program. In 2019, the city of Clearwater conducted the Community Assessment Survey for Older Adults (CASOA) administered by the National Research Center, Inc. which provides a statistically valid survey of the strengths and needs of older adults as reported by older adults themselves in communities across the United States. The CASOA instrument was mapped to the AARP Livable Communities model and found that the surveys aligned well to the Age Friendly domains.