Highlands County sits on the Lake Wales Ridge in Florida's Heartland, with Sebring, Avon Park and Lake Placid spread across about 1,106 square miles and more than 84 lakes. Much of the housing outside the towns is low-rise, lakefront or agricultural, so the stairs we see are often a few entry steps, a raised porch or a single flight inside a townhouse.
Downtown Sebring is its own case. The 1912 circular 'Circle' town plan laid out by founder George Sebring is now a National Register-listed 1920s Classical Revival historic district, and older buildings there can bring their own stair layouts. This page walks through which lift suits which home and where to ask about paying for one.
The county's housing mix includes single-family homes, ranch-style homes, townhouses and walk-up apartments. A straight stair lift handles a single flight with no turns, which is common in townhouses and many two-story single-family homes.
If the staircase turns, has a landing or curves, a curved lift built to that exact staircase is the answer. We measure on site before recommending either one.
A ranch-style home may have no indoor stairs at all, yet the front or back steps can be the hardest part of the day. An outdoor stair lift is built for weather and can run along exterior steps.
For a wheelchair user, or where steps are short and the climb is to a porch or deck, a platform lift may make more sense than a seat. On lakefront and rural properties, we look at the full path from the driveway to the door before suggesting anything.
Around 55.2% of households own their home, which matters because owners can usually install a lift without needing anyone's sign-off.
Renters, including those in walk-up apartments with shared stairwells, should talk with the landlord first. Shared stairs raise questions about access for other tenants that the property owner has to answer.
No program listed for Highlands County clearly names stair lifts as a covered item, so it pays to call before counting on help. The Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care program has a Home Accessibility Adaptation benefit, but its consumer description does not mention stair lifts.
Veterans should know that the VA HISA grant excludes stair lifts as removable equipment. The Highlands County Veteran Services Office at (863) 402-6623, 7209 South George Boulevard, Sebring 33875, can explain other VA benefits, including the prosthetics side of VA Benefits for Veterans (HISA + Prosthetics). The Sebring VA Clinic (CBOC, VA Bay Pines Health Care System) is also in Sebring.
Other statewide names worth asking about are the FAAST New Horizon Loan Program and the Florida Homestead + Senior Additional Homestead Exemption. Details for each are below or available from the offices listed.
A Florida Medicaid benefit for people who meet nursing-facility level of care, Medicaid LTC income and asset limits, and are enrolled in an SMMC LTC plan; stair lifts are not listed in the state's consumer description. Call (800) 963-5337 to ask about your situation.
A federal VA grant for medically justified structural changes for veterans with a qualifying condition, with a lifetime cap that varies by service-connection status. It does not cover stair lifts, which the VA treats as removable equipment; call (800) 827-1000.
The Area Agency on Aging for older adults and caregivers in Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee, Highlands and Hardee counties, focused on referrals and case management; whether it can help with a stair lift is unknown. Call (800) 963-5337 or the Tampa office at (813) 740-3888.
Older adults
8928 Brittany Way, Tampa, 33619
Veterans
7209 South George Boulevard, Sebring, 33875
The SMMC LTC Home Accessibility Adaptation benefit covers home adaptations for enrolled members, but the state's consumer description does not name stair lifts. Call (800) 963-5337 and ask your plan directly.
No. HISA explicitly excludes stair lifts as removable equipment. The Highlands County Veteran Services Office at (863) 402-6623 can talk through other VA benefits.
Senior Connection Center (PSA 6) is at 8928 Brittany Way, Tampa 33619, phone (813) 740-3888. It serves Highlands along with Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee and Hardee counties.
Yes, if the problem is the entry steps or a porch. An outdoor stair lift or a platform lift can handle exterior steps.
Only with the property owner's approval, since the stairwell is usually shared. Bring your landlord into the conversation before we measure.
The FAAST New Horizon Loan Program and the Florida Homestead + Senior Additional Homestead Exemption are statewide programs worth asking about. Contact them directly for current eligibility.
Tell us about the stairs in your home and we will explain which lift fits, what it costs and how installation works.
