Florida's seniors are the focus in 2012 election


There are 70 days left until the 2012 Presidential election, pitting incumbent Barack Obama against presumed Republican nominee Mitt Romney. And few other groups are in the spotlight of politicians this election year like seniors, and especially seniors living in vote-rich Florida assisted living communities.

A recent article from the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper, seniors in the Sunshine State are feeling the glare from the country’s biggest two politicians right now.

Issues like Medicare and social security, of interest to many older people, are already being debated and considered by the state’s estimated 3.2 million seniors.

“My biggest issue is Social Security. I want it to be there for me, and my nieces and nephews coming up,” 63 year-old former Iowan Ray Johnson told the newspaper.

Florida is already taking on a big role in the 2012 election. In Tampa Bay, Florida, the Republican National Convention is just getting started, and the last presidential debate of the year will take place in Boca Raton, Florida.

And although seniors make up a big part of Florida’s population and political scene, they are not a single group. As the newspaper reported, many retirees from New York City and the northeast have settled near Miami and on the coast, while other seniors have settled near the Interstate 75 north of Tampa.

No matter where in the state they live, watch out for Florida’s seniors in this year’s presidential election. In a close race, their votes will matter like never before.