From Tarpon Springs and Palm Harbor down through Clearwater, Largo and St. Petersburg to Gulfport and St. Pete Beach, much of Pinellas County is single-story living. Many houses here are mid-century ranch homes built on a slab, and the county's housing stock has a median build year around 1977. So when a stair problem shows up, it is often not a full flight inside the house.
More often it is a few steps into a sunken family room, the stairs in one of the less common two-story homes, or a front entry that was raised to sit above flood water. Each of those calls for a different kind of lift. This page walks through what we see in Pinellas homes and where you can look for help paying.
The typical Pinellas house is a single-story, slab-on-grade ranch. That layout keeps most daily life on one floor, which is good news. The trouble spots tend to be split-levels, where a short run of steps separates one part of the house from another.
A short straight run can usually take a straight stair lift, which is the simplest and quickest kind to install. If the steps turn a corner or have a landing partway, a curved lift built to fit that staircase is the usual answer.
In the minority of homes that are two stories, the question is the same one we ask anywhere: is the staircase straight, or does it turn? We measure it in person before recommending anything.
Pinellas sits on a narrow peninsula of roughly 280 square miles with Tampa Bay, Old Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico on its sides. Roughly 50-60% of the county lies within a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area, in Zones AE and coastal VE. That is why so many homes near the water, in places like Madeira Beach, Treasure Island, Indian Rocks Beach and Tierra Verde, have elevated entries.
Raised entries move the climb outside. For exterior steps, an outdoor stair lift built to handle sun, rain and salt air is one option. For someone who uses a wheelchair, a platform lift that carries the chair itself may make more sense than a seat.
Outdoor installs need a look at the steps, the landing at the top and where power can reach. We sort that out on the visit.
Besides single-family homes, the county has townhouses, condominiums, walk-up apartments and low-rise buildings. Townhouses often have an interior staircase that belongs to the owner, which makes them good candidates for a straight or curved lift.
Stairs in a shared hallway or stairwell of a condo or walk-up are a different matter. Those usually belong to the building, so the association or owner has to agree before anything is mounted there. Ask them early.
About 25.4% of Pinellas residents are 65 or older, and about 67.9% are homeowners. That means a lot of older people living in houses they own, which is the situation where a stair lift makes the most sense: you can change the home to fit you instead of moving.
The C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center (Bay Pines VA Healthcare System) is in Bay Pines, with the North Pinellas VA Clinic (Community Based Outpatient Clinic) in Clearwater and the St. Petersburg VA Clinic in St. Petersburg.
There is no single program that simply pays for stair lifts here, so it helps to know what each one actually says. Florida Medicaid's long-term care program covers home accessibility adaptations, but its official pages do not name stair lifts, and approval depends on the managed-care plan.
The Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas is the place to start for anyone 60 or older or living with a disability. Their Elder Helpline can screen you and tell you what local services fit. Veterans should know that the VA HISA grant excludes stair glides and porch lifts, though it may help with other permanent changes to the home.
Statewide, the FAAST New Horizon Loan Program is another name worth asking about. Details on each program are below.
A Florida Medicaid long-term care benefit that covers home accessibility adaptations for enrollees who meet nursing-facility level of care and financial limits; stair lifts are not listed by name, and each managed-care plan must authorize the work. Call (877) 711-3662.
The aging and disability resource center for Pasco and Pinellas counties, serving seniors generally 60 and older, people with disabilities and caregivers; it is unknown whether it funds stair lifts or home modifications. Call the Elder Helpline at (800) 963-5337 to be screened and ask.
A VA grant for medically necessary home changes, up to $6,800 lifetime for service-connected disabilities or $2,000 lifetime for non-service-connected ones. It does not cover stair lifts, stair glides or porch lifts, though permanent structural changes and semi-permanent wheelchair ramps may still qualify.
Older adults
9549 Koger Blvd., Ste. 100, St. Petersburg, 33702
Veterans
2189 Cleveland St., Suite 263, Clearwater, 33765
Yes, that is common in Pinellas flood zones. An outdoor stair lift can run along exterior steps, and a platform lift is an option if a wheelchair needs to go up with the rider.
Possibly, but it is not guaranteed. The SMMC LTC program covers home accessibility adaptations, yet its official pages do not name stair lifts, and your managed-care plan must authorize the work. You can call (877) 711-3662.
Start with the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas through the Elder Helpline at (800) 963-5337. Whether they fund stair lifts is not confirmed, so ask directly. Their office is at 9549 Koger Blvd., Ste. 100, St. Petersburg, and the office line is (727) 570-9696.
No. HISA specifically excludes stair glides and porch lifts. It may still help with permanent structural changes or semi-permanent wheelchair ramps.
Pinellas County Veterans Services is at 2189 Cleveland St., Suite 263, Clearwater, and can be reached at (727) 464-8460.
If the stairs are inside your own unit or townhouse, usually yes. If they are shared stairs in a condo or walk-up building, you will need the association or building owner to approve it first.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
