With skyrocketing costs of living throughout Florida, an affordability crisis is putting punishing pressures on nurses and their fellow healthcare workers in hospitals and nursing homes across the state.

Tariffs, the war in Iran, corporate greed and massive tax cuts to the very rich drive this crisis by spiking the expense of everyday items including gas, groceries and more, as well as causing other critical essentials such as family healthcare coverage and school costs to soar.

For those hoping to buy a home, absurd real estate prices have put that dream out of reach for many. And those fortunate enough to already own their home, immense insurance and monthly utility bills crash most budgets.

RN and 1199SEIU member Tresa Hyatt is still paying exorbitant rent in Coral Springs because the cost of purchasing a house -- and the income necessary to qualify for a mortgage -- is so high.

“In Florida, we face the same high prices like in New York and California, but we’re nowhere near their wage levels, so we really have it the worst,” says Hyatt, who works two jobs to  make ends meet, support her toddler and continue her pursuit of becoming a homeowner.

Because of the disparity between insufficient pay and high cost of living in Florida, her facilities have lost a multitude of talented colleagues who have moved to other states, a sadly frequent scenario exacerbating Florida’s healthcare staffing and retention crisis that puts the wellbeing of caregivers, patients and entire communities at risk.  

  “And if experienced RNs with degrees are struggling, how are so many other healthcare workers surviving at all on even lower wages?” she asks. “It doesn’t matter if your title is nurse, tech, dietary aide, or another job, the crazy high prices for gas, groceries and everything else are the same.”

Longtime nurse and union member-leader Marlyn Hoilette says employers need to pay fairly, and elected officials in Washington and Tallahassee must change failing policies, before these Florida crises cause irreversible damage.  And if the politicians won’t change, voters must get engaged to elect new leaders who will truly serve the people.

“Floridians desperately need and demand more. We need to be able to afford to live and achieve our dreams here. We shouldn’t be scraping by just to make billionaires richer,” said Hoilette, a Palm Beach County homeowner who has seen her insurance premiums almost double in the last few years. “Nurses are passionate caregivers, and we’ll be on the front lines with our 1199SEIU family members, as always, fighting for a better future for all.”