[nagdu] Florida: Is your pet really a service animal? Bill makes it a crime to lie about it

[Marion Gwizdala]

Tracy,

	This is so under the IRS tax code, as such things can be written off. The difference is that this bill would allow us to be exempted from sales tax, a little different animal, so to speak.

Marion



-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione via nagdu
Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2014 1:54 PM
To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Florida: Is your pet really a service animal? Bill makes it a crime to lie about it

Hi Robert.
As I understand it, if I make an itemized tax return, and have receipts, I can claim guide dog-related expenses, such as vet visits, food, and such.
Tracy
> Hello:
>
> I am briefly materializing from the mists of obscurity to request 
> clarification as regards tax exemption for service animals, as 
> mentioned in the below message. What benefits would such entail for a 
> service animal user? You'll have to forgive my limited capability for 
> imagination this morning, as I am currently awash in final exam 
> studying. My guess is that purchases made in connection with a service 
> animal (food, equipment, etc.) will be exempt from taxation. Of 
> course, a financial attorney I am not, so I thus may be woefully far from the mark.
> Intrigued,
> Robert Hooper
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Marion 
> Gwizdala via nagdu
> Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2014 10:16 AM
> To: 'Ginger Kutsch'; 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of 
> Guide Dog Users'
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Florida: Is your pet really a service animal? 
> Bill makes it a crime to lie about it
>
> Representative Smith is also helping us tweak our tax exemption for 
> service dogs which currently requires one to present an i.d. card from 
> the Division of Blind services. Not all service dog users are clients 
> of DBS and not all clients of DBS are service dog users. We will keep 
> you abreast of our efforts in Florida.
>
> Fraternally yours,
> Marion Gwizdala
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ginger 
> Kutsch via nagdu
> Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2014 8:26 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: [nagdu] Florida: Is your pet really a service animal? Bill 
> makes it a crime to lie about it
>
> Florida: Is your pet really a service animal? Bill makes it a crime to 
> lie about it
>
> Palm Beach Post - Blog
>
>  December 15, 2014      | Filed in: State House.
>
> Source URL:
> http://postonpolitics.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2014/12/15/is-your-pet-re
> ally-a-service-animal-bill-makes-it-a-crime-to-lie-about-it/
>
>
>
> Trying to pass your family pet off as a service animal would be 
> against the law under a bill proposed by Rep. Jimmie Smith, R-Inverness.
>
>
>
> “I love that people love their animals and want to take them with 
> them,” said Smith. But when people bring their pet into restaurants 
> and businesses pretending it is a service animal and that animal 
> misbehaves, “it distracts from people’s trust in what a service 
> dog is.”
>
>
>
> Smith filed a similar bill last year after he was approached by 
> disability rights groups about the increase in pet owners claiming 
> their pet is a service animal. The bill failed when it was not called 
> up for a committee hearing.
>
>
>
> Smith said he tweaked this year’s bill, HB 71, after he spoke with 
> representatives of restaurant, entertainment and business trade groups.
>
>
>
> Although much of the bill reiterates rights and rules included in the 
> Americans with Disabilities Act, in also makes misrepresenting your 
> pet as a service animal a second-degree misdemeanor.
>
>
>
> The punishment: 30 hours of community service for an organization that 
> assists the disabled or other group decided by a judge. The community 
> service must be completed within six months.
>
>
>
> “It’s so easy to basically defraud the system,” Smith said. 
> “All you have to do is buy a vest or tags and when you’re 
> challenged you say, “talk to my lawyer.””
>
>
>
> To combat that defense, Smith’s bill also includes two questions 
> that businesses can ask: Is the animal a service animal required 
> because of a disability? What tasks has the animal been trained to perform?
>
>
>
> The bill also defines service animal to apply to dogs and miniature 
> horses, not flying squirrels or other animals.
>
>
>
> “One amusement park said someone came in with a flying squirrel and 
> claimed it was a service animal,” Smith said, adding that the law is 
> specifically intended to protect those with invisible disabilities, 
> such as PTSD, allergies, diabetes and vertigo
>
>
>
> “It’s quite apparent some are not service animals.”
>
>
>
> Text of Florida HB71 is located at:
>
> http://myfloridahouse.com/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=53081
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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