WINK Listens: Arcadia man questions lawmakers on senior living expenses

ARCADIA, Fla. (WINK) — What started as a complaint about rising lot rent prices at WINK Listens in Arcadia turned into a frustration many may be experiencing right now.

• RELATED: Royal Coach Village residents say rising lot rent forces impossible choices

Seniors said they are feeling left behind as everything is getting more expensive. WINK News anchor Corey Lazar spoke with an Arcadia man who questions how they got here.

Eric Powell had one question: Where are our legislators? He's worried about senior citizens just being able to get by financially.

"This year, the federal government gave us 2.8% cost of living," Powell said. "So on $1,000 Social Security check, that's 28 bucks."

But when you go to the grocery store, the costs add up quickly. Powell said you spend $100 to $150 a week, and then your Medicare goes up and your drug coverage goes up.

When asked what his main request would be if a representative from Rep. Byron Donalds' office or Gov. Ron DeSantis were sitting in front of him, Powell had a clear answer.

"Why are we letting our senior citizens be damaged?" Powell said. "Why are we putting them in a position where they're losing their homes and their stuff because they can't afford the cost of living in Florida?"

Lazar sent that exact clip to Sen. Rick Scott, who is the chairman of the U.S. Special Committee on Aging. When asked for his response, Scott said he doesn't disagree with Powell.

"If you look at Florida now, the property taxes have gone up, property insurance, car insurance, and then, you know, most of it during the Biden years, you know, the grocery prices, things like that, but they still haven't come down, right?" Scott said.

So what can representatives do to help seniors? Scott said the first step is to look at every way government is part of the problem and be invovled in the voting process.

"Is there a fee? Is there a tax that you can get rid of? I got rid of our reduced 100 taxes and fees," Scott said. "Number two is a regulation that's causing costs to go up that you can get rid of. I got rid of about 5,000 regulations. Is there places where the market doesn't work, where government can be involved and make the market work better."

But the longer Lazar sat with Powell at WINK Listens, talking about the hard choices seniors have to make right now, you could feel how much he cares.

"We need to take care of each other," Powell said. "I've always fought for the underdog. I've always been very blessed. God is always taking care of me, but I feel like it's my responsibility to speak up to those who can't speak up or won't."

Rep. Byron Donalds' office provided a statement:

Byron Donalds fought alongside President Trump to deliver no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and the largest tax cut on Social Security in American history because he understands that seniors and hardworking Floridians deserve to keep more money in their pocket. As Governor, Byron will lower the cost of property insurance and property taxes so seniors are not priced out of their homes. He is committed to making Florida a place where people can afford to live, work, raise a family, and retire.

Gov. Ron DeSantis' office did not respond to our emails.