People in England are known for being a bit morose and downbeat, and that’s okay. Sometimes it’s quite annoying when you find ‘English people trying to be American’, all loud and upbeat with white shiny teeth, telling people to ‘have a nice day!’ It just does not sit right, as that’s not who we are!
Having said that, there is a lot to learn from sunny Floridians, who show a far more positive and pro-active attitude on most things. From keeping fit as seniors to looking after wetlands, to designing planned communities. Let’s take a look!
Floridans Keep a Sunny, Positive Attitude
Maybe it’s the constant sunshine, but most Floridians are optimists. This is very different to ‘being a positive thinker’, which often means pretending everything is all right, when it’s not. Many psychologists are not fans of people who tell others to ‘always look on the bright side’, as it can take mental health in the opposite direction.
Once there was a woman with terminal cancer. She was okay with it, having accepted her fate. But one psychologist told her to look in the mirror each day, and chant ‘Every day, I am getting better and better’. She did this. And died unhappy and bitter, that she had not got better.
Finland is one of the world’s happiest countries. But they don’t go around ‘thinking positively’ all day. When told of their reputation, one minister said ‘If we’re the happiest, I’d hate to think what the others are like’. When you see them go around in one person called ‘a state of national mourning’, that’s their natural state!
That’s because they live akin to what your parents likely told you to ‘not counting your chickens until they are hatched’. Then if someone good happens, you won’t be disappointed, but happily surprised!
So how are Floridians different? This is more to do with a healthy mental and physical lifestyle. Floridians have a fairly active outdoor lifestyle. Most eat well, don’t have addiction problems, take regular exercise, go to church, are friendly and polite, and live in nice ‘planned communities’ where they can walk most places.
When people live like this, they naturally become more optimistic and positive in daily life. They don’t sit around all day watching negative news or reality TV, and if they see a problem, they get on with solving it. Oil spills on beaches are a good example. In Florida, everyone rushes in to help, and gets the job done to clean up, help oiled birds and change policies. It’s a can-do attitude that many in England could adopt.
Healthy and Active Seniors
In England, often the media portray (and sometimes correctly) our senior community as if they are all ‘one foot from the grave’. Older people are seen as forgotten citizens, often shoved into care homes with no-one wanting to visit them, and giving no help in finding out what they wish to do in life.
There are few walking communities for people who no longer drive, bad bus and expensive train transport, little to choose from on TV (all screaming quiz shows and reality TV) and not much in the way of respect.
In Florida, boy are things different! Someone in their 80s is positively a teenager! You’ll find power-walkers and pensioners who drink smoothies before a work-out. Read our post on safe healthy exercise for seniors.
Once a few people in a Florida care home were visited by an expert in strength-training, creating a simple safe exercise routine over a few months. Some were frightened the participants may get heart attacks or drop down dead. But in fact, the opposite happened.
They started to rebuild muscle and got better at walking, and regained energy and fitness. One no longer needed to use a walking stick, and a few became so healthy and independent, they left the care home, and moved back home!
Floridans Look After Their Wetlands
In England, our wetlands are in trouble. We have lost nearly all of them in recent years due to farmer chemical run-off and bad town planning. This has impacted everything. We have more floods, and our coastal birds, dragonflies and damselflies are in peril, as well as many other birds and native wildlife.
Florida’s Everglades are one of the world’s largest wetlands, and they are looked after beautifully. You won’t find anyone dropping litter, having bonfires, releasing balloons, fire lanterns or fireworks anywhere near here.
One of the world’s most unique habitats, the Everglades are slow-flowing moving rivers of grass, which cover nearly 2 million acres. And there are a huge number of volunteers, who step it to keep the area clean, ti protect all creatures from flamingos to alligators to spoonbills and ospreys. Read more on restoring England’s wetlands.
Organised Beach Clean Drives
England does now have many volunteer beach cleans, but nothing on the scale of Florida. With an almost endless coastline, Florida’s beaches attract sunseekers by the millions. To keep them inviting, communities have made organised clean‑up events a normal part of coastal life. Early on a Saturday, you might spot families, friends, and even office teams filling bags with rubbish and stray plastic.
Schools are in the mix too. Students join beach clean drives not just for a day out, but to learn why beaches must stay clean. They work in teams, collect waste, and sort recyclables from landfill. Many schools turn these drives into friendly contests to see which class can gather the most. It’s a practical lesson in responsibility wrapped up in a day at the shore.
A clean beach isn’t just about good looks. Clean-up events:
- Keep wildlife safe by removing harmful plastics and discarded fishing gear
- Stop toxic waste from washing into the ocean
- Make beaches welcoming for everyone year-round
- Teach young people that caring for the coast means looking out for neighbours too
Every filled sack is a step towards sparkling sand and a cleaner ocean. These clean drives turn care for the coast into a community habit. Even more, they give everyone, young or old, the chance to lead by doing. When you walk a tidy beach or spot dolphins offshore, you’re seeing the real outcome of thousands of small acts done side by side.
Beautiful Planned Communities
Florida has many of these, let’s take a look at three of them:
If planting green spaces, read up on pet-friendly gardens and wildlife-friendly gardens. If planting trees, know of trees to avoid near horses (including yew, oak and sycamore).
Seaside
This is a so-called New Urbanism town, planned by architect Andrés Duany, and although expensive, has some wonderful design ideas. The beautiful buildings sit on the coast, with old-fashioned porches to watch the sun down.
There are gorgeous Art-Deco buildings (from the post office to the cinema) and a multi-faith church for everyone to worship at. Packed with independent shops and clean beaches, this is Heaven on earth (it was the setting for the film The Truman Show, if you’ve seen it).
Celebration
This is nearby, just outside Walt Disney world. Again, this is a lovely main street and beautiful buildings, and many green spaces for people and dogs. It has a very low crime rate, and the houses are designed, so that cars are ‘hidden away’ underground, so the streets are for walking, not packed with parked cars.
These towns build habits of walking, cycling, and sharing. With more exercise, lower air pollution, and better mental health, the benefits add up for everyone.
The Villages Retirement Community
This is a beautiful planned community, where people live either full-time or part-time (so-called ‘snowbirds’ who descend to Florida in the winter months from northern states). The affordable homes are beautifully designed and there are wide pavements and car-free zones and many nature trails.
The Villages even has several dog parks (all with shady covered bench areas and water stations), so you can pick the best type for your pooch (and all users must have microchipped dogs that are spayed or neutered, to help prevent lost pets and dog bites).
It’s known in the media for its golf courses, but it’s far more than that. The Villages has hundreds of social clubs to offer everything from tennis to dance nights. Nobody feels lonely, whether they choose to be an introvert and just enjoy the area, or get involved in everything they can!
Smart and Free Public Transport
In the city of Miami, Freebee is a wonderful idea, that we could take on board. It offers vehicles providing free public transport for locals and visitors, paid for by advertising. Often from small businesses, that get the benefit, as people can then ‘get on a free bus’ and go visit out-of-tourist areas to support the economy.
The buses are well-designed (and accept well-behaved dogs). Not cheap transport – it’s totally free. This frees up income for users, who can then use the money to buy a coffee, a souvenir or explore areas to take a day out, which is good for everyone in the community (both rest and tourism).
They Use Horse-Free Tourist Carriages
Considering England is supposed to be one of the world’s most animal-batty countries, it’s a mystery why we are so far behind on banning horse carriages for tourism. This is happening everywhere worldwide, from Spain to Mexico and beyond.
Horses used for tourism carriages can be tired and often thirsty when working, and there are massive issues with welfare (horse carriages have even recently been banned in New York’s Central Park, after a long campaign which saw many horses spooked and injured in traffic).
Old Mount Dora Carriage Company is a Florida company that uses beautiful quaint nostalgic carriages to ferry tourists and wedding guests around in the heat, but leave the horses back at home in their natural fields and stables.
These eco-friendly carriages are powered by people and electricity, and have a beautiful ambience to match surroundings, yet blends this with modern-day animal welfare concerns. Read more on horse carriage alternatives.
What Not to Learn from Florida
Alas Florida is also the base for SeaWorld, one of the world’s most popular tourist attractions. But increasingly people are boycotting tourist aquariums, due to some wild creatures being taken from their ocean homes, to live in space akin to you living in a bath rub for life, and performing tricks for tourists.
In Florida it’s worse, as the pools are too shallow, leading often to sunburn for many marine residents. Many creatures have ended up dying or attacking keepers, due to stress and ill health.
Conclusion
Florida’s way of life shows there’s a lot to gain from a sunny attitude, care for nature, staying active, and choosing easier ways to get around. These lessons aren’t just for locals; anyone can use them to make daily life brighter, healthier, and more connected.
If you bring a little Florida spirit to your world—by greeting neighbours, taking care of green spaces, joining in group exercise, or choosing to walk or ride instead of drive—you’ll feel the change. The results can be more than you expect.
