[NAGDU] what about Florida?

[Julie Johnson]

Several years ago Florida passed it's new/revised laws regarding 
disability fraud and misrepresentation of pets as service animals.  
NAGDU was supporting that law as the model for other states wanting to 
pass revised service dog legislation.  At least this is what I'm 
remembering.


I've read the Florida law, although not recently, and it's very good.  
It addresses the core of the problem faking disability and also supports 
businesses to exclude dogs who are not under the handler's control.


So my question is: how has that law worked in practice?  On paper it 
looks great, but I'm wondering if it has been enforceable.  Has 
disability and service dog fraud been reduced?   Have people been 
caught, proceeded through the criminal justice system and been found 
guilty? What is the impact of that law?


If it's worked out well, we need to use the hard facts and available 
statistics to show that this type of law works.  That will go a long way 
in helping other states address law revisions.


This issue keeps coming up year after year in multiple states. At some 
point in time there will be a law that gets passed that is in direct 
opposition to the ADA.  Our freedom as blind people and guide dog users 
will be reduced.  If we have a solid alternative that we can suggest to 
law makers, the chances go way up of getting laws that actually address 
the problem in a way that does not violate our civil rights.


Personally I have not experienced people faking a disability to take 
their pet dog with them.  I have experienced people with actual 
disabilities and ill behaved actual service dogs.  I think we need a law 
that addresses both of these.   Florida's law had the potential to do 
just that.  I'm hopeful that it's stood the test of time and has been 
successfully implemented.


Julie