Retirement communities began to emerge in Florida in the 1930s.  Today they may be found in most parts of the state.  Many were developed specially for the aged and provide a wide variety of services, including special protection against crime.
    Health planners have become concerned about meeting the needs of the "very" old (those 85 and above), an age group that is growing more rapidly than most others.  Today persons 85 and older constitute an especially high share of the aged in Dade and Pinellas counties, where younger retirees no longer settle in as large numbers as they did in previous decades.