12 Things That Annoy Floridians the Older They Get

Clocks go back an hour on Sunday.

That means darker evenings across Florida, and many older Floridians feel changes like that more than their younger selves did.

These are the things that annoy Floridians the older they get.

1. Scam Texts and Calls

Floridians over 60 reported losing nearly $710 million to cybercrime in 2025.

They filed more than 17,000 complaints with the Internet Crime Complaint Center, which is run by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

That ranked second in the nation for victims over 60.

Nationally, people 60 and older filed about 20% of complaints but accounted for more than 37% of losses.

Fake toll texts are part of the mix, and the Attorney General’s office passed along an FBI report in May 2024 on scammers sending fraudulent text messages about tolls.

Florida has the most toll roads of any state, at more than 700 miles, so a toll text feels believable.

The office’s Cyber Fraud Enforcement Unit shut down 10 fake sites, then seized six more in June 2024 and four more in July.

SunPass says it will never ask for a payment or any action on your account by text.

You can delete it.

2. Medicare Enrollment Calls

Older Floridians on Medicare can expect more calls ahead of open enrollment, which runs from October 15 to December 7.

A recently retired Medicare beneficiary told West Palm Beach station WPTV she gets more than a dozen Medicare-related calls in a day.

She’s on the national registry meant to limit telemarketing calls, and she believes the callers are picking out seniors.

Medicare won’t call, text or email you to confirm your Medicare number, according to AARP’s Fraud Watch Network.

Hang up.

3. Landline Shutoffs

AT&T customers in parts of Florida were told in November 2025 that copper landline service could be discontinued starting November 15, 2026.

AT&T’s request was granted automatically in January 2026.

Half of Americans over 65 still had a landline at home as of July 2024, AARP reports.

Copper lines keep working when a storm knocks out power, and many older adults rely on them for medical alert devices and 911 calls.

Ask AT&T about your address.

4. FPL Bills

Florida Power & Light (FPL) bills are a sore spot because regulators approved a four-year rate settlement of about $6.9 billion in November 2025.

FPL projects the settlement raises the typical 1,000-kilowatt-hour bill by $2.50 a month in 2026, from $134.14 to $136.64.

That’s $30 over a year.

AARP Florida opposed the original rate request in 2025, saying it would burden households, especially seniors on fixed incomes.

If you’re 65 or older, you’re more prone to heat-related health problems, which can make the air conditioner hard to turn down.

5. Medicare Part B Premiums

Older Floridians on Medicare saw the standard Part B premium rise to $202.90 a month in 2026, up from $185 in 2025.

That’s a $17.90 jump.

The 2026 Social Security cost-of-living increase was 2.8%, or about $56 a month on average, so the premium increase takes up roughly a third of it.

Read your benefit letter.

6. Homeowners Insurance Costs

In an August 2026 University of North Florida survey of 1,511 homeowners, 63% said they’re more concerned about insurance than taxes, while 36% said taxes.

19% said their premium rose by at least 50% in the past year.

AARP Florida surveyed Floridians age 45 and older and reported in November 2025 that nearly 80% of insured homeowners face a hurricane deductible before coverage begins.

Among all those surveyed, 43% said they were extremely or very concerned about paying it.

AARP Florida also reports that 46% of Floridians 65 and older rely on Social Security for at least half of their income.

Insurers must offer hurricane deductibles of $500, 2%, 5% and 10% of the dwelling limit, with exceptions for higher-value homes, under state law.

On a $400,000 dwelling limit, a 2% deductible is $8,000 and a 10% deductible is $40,000.

Check your deductible.

7. Condo Assessments

Florida’s post-Surfside condo law targets buildings that are at least 30 years old and three stories tall.

It also targets those 25 years and older within 3 miles of the coast, so you may be affected if you own in one.

Retirees on fixed incomes often can’t afford the renovations, according to a New York Times report published by public radio station WLRN in October 2024.

One couple faced a $224,000 share of a special assessment on their 36-year-old building.

At Lake Clarke Gardens, a condo community near Lake Worth Beach for residents 55 and older, some owners told WPTV in October 2024 that their fees had roughly doubled.

Ask about reserves.

8. Parking Apps and QR Codes

A University of South Florida study of adults 60 and older found that glare, poor placement and small fonts on QR codes led to frustration and anger.

Anna Maria’s proposed paid beach parking would run through a parking app, with text-to-pay, call-to-pay and QR code options.

One plan called for more than 1,100 paid spaces at $4.50 an hour.

The updated plan would give you three hours of free metered parking.

As of August 31, leaders were still reviewing data and public comments before making a decision.

Pack patience.

9. Tipping Screens

Tipping screens ask you to decide on the spot, which many older adults dislike.

Nearly half of Americans 65 and older (47%) oppose tip prompts at checkout, a 2023 Pew Research Center survey found.

Adults under 30 were more split, with 31% in favor and 33% opposed.

Automatic service charges drew more opposition, from 79% of those 65 and older compared with about six in ten adults under 30.

Younger adults are less bothered.

10. Headlight Glare

If you drive at night, glare may hit harder with age, since drivers in crashes with reported headlight glare tended to be older.

A researcher at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said drivers older than 70 seem to be affected most.

Complaints about headlights have grown in recent years, though glare was cited in only one or two of every thousand nighttime crashes across 11 states from 2015 to 2023.

Age can make glare worse.

11. Brightline Horns

Brightline horns sound at crossings in Florida because each train had to sound its horn three times before crossing an intersection, WLRN reported in January 2025.

Brightline began running up to 30 trains a day between West Palm Beach and Orlando in 2023.

The new service increased noise levels for people living near the tracks.

As you age, sleep tends to be shorter and lighter, and you may wake up more often during the night, according to the National Institute on Aging.

As of January 2025, West Palm Beach was the only north county city with an established no-horn zone.

Light sleepers notice.

12. Clock Changes

Clock changes annoy many older Floridians, and they happen again on Sunday, November 1, when you turn your clocks back 1 hour at 2:00 a.m.

In a 2021 Associated Press-NORC poll, 37% of adults 60 and older preferred staying on daylight saving time year-round, compared with 24% of adults 18 to 29.

The Legislature passed the year-round bill in early 2018, and the governor approved it on March 23, 2018.

Under federal law, a state may exempt itself from daylight saving time only by staying on standard time year-round.