[NFBF-Tampa] Trial Begins for Airbnb Host for Service Animal Denial

Fri Jul 19 18:09:19 UTC 2024

Dear All,

                As advocates for the disabled, we realize our civil right to
travel freely an unimpeded is essential as we strive to live our lives in
full equality alongside our nondisabled peers. As we strive toward full
participation in society on terms of equality, it is essential that society
uphold these rights and hold those who violate community standards face the
consequences of their behavior. It is equally essential that we – as
advocates for these civil rights – demonstrate to the public how important
these issues are to us. 

                Advocates for Service Animal Partners urges anyone with an
interest in supporting the civil rights of the disabled and our right to be
accompanied by our trained service dogs demonstrate the importance of this
case. You can do this by donning a yellow article of clothing and joining
other service animal advocates in the gallery. Hats are not permitted in the
courtroom. Several of us will meet for breakfast at Crystal Bay Café, the
cafeteria in the courthouse owned by a blind service animal handler, at 8:00
a.m. Everyone entering the courthouse will pass through security. Crystal
Bay Café is located on the 2nd floor of the Hillsborough County Courthouse,
800 E. Twigg Street, Tampa, Florida. For more information, you may call
386-ASAP411 (386-272-7411) or send an email to 

Advocacy411 at gmail.com <mailto:Advocacy411 at gmail.com> 

Please circulate the following message as widely as appropriate. If you
received this message as a forward stripping the attachments, you can
request these documents by sending a message to

Advocacy411 at gmail.com <mailto:Advocacy411 at gmail.com> 

FOR IMMEDIATE USE

FROM: Advocates for Service Animal Partners Inc.

RELEASE DATE: July 19, 2024

TRIAL BEGINS FOR AIRBNB HOST FOR SERVICE ANIMAL DENIAL

Tampa, Fla. – At 11:00 at night, shortly after a disabled North Dakota
business owner checked into a Tampa Airbnb, the  host ordered her off the
property because of her service dog. On Monday, July 22, Juan Gomez will
face a jury of his peers determining if he is guilty of violating the civil
rights of a disabled person, a second degree misdemeanor in Florida. If
convicted, Gomez could face a maximum sentence of sixty days in jail, a fine
of $500, and/or thirty hours of community service for an organization
providing services to the disabled. The trial begins at 8:30 a.m. at the
Hillsborough County Courthouse located at 800 E. Twigg Street, Courtroom 22.

The charges against Gomez stem from a February incident in which Liz
Hartranft, a North Dakota business woman who is disabled and uses a service
dog that alerts her to the onset of seizures, was ejected by Gomez when he
noticed her service dog on video.

“he sent me a text at 11:00 at night ordering me off his property,”
Hartranft says. “I told him it was a service dog and he didn’t care. I had a
business meeting the next morning and no where to stay!”

According to Florida statute 413.08 (attached), a disabled individual
accompanied by a service dog has the right to full and equal access to any
place other members of the public are allowed. The dog must be kept on a
leash or tether unless the leash or tether interferes with the work the dog
is trained to perform. The dog must be kept under direct control of the
handler and must not create a threat or be disruptive. Service animal
handlers are responsible for the damage their dogs cause. Violation of this
law is a second degree misdemeanor punishable by incarceration of up to
sixty days, a fine of up to $500, and the performance of up to thirty hours
of community service.

“Most people are surprised at how often we are denied service because of our
service dogs,” shares Marion Gwizdala, president of Advocates for Service
Animal Partners, the organization that assisted Hartranft pursue the case.
“We get three to five calls a day to our hotline from people all over the
country facing this sort of discrimination!”

For more information about the mutual rights and responsibilities of service
animal handlers and the businesses we patronize, you can call 386-ASAP411
(386-272-7411). If you need urgent answers to service animal questions due
to an unfolding real-time situation, you can contact the ASAP Service Animal
Hotline at 855-ASAP211 (855-272-7211). . A wealth of information is also
available at  <https://ServiceAnimals.info> https://ServiceAnimals.info.

# # # 

About ASAP

            Advocates for Service Animal Partners (ASAP) is the only
organization dedicated exclusively to providing direct support,
intervention, and mediation for disabled individuals who choose to use a
service animal to mitigate their disability. ASAP operates the only 24-hour
national hotline to assist service animal handlers and the businesses we
patronize understand their mutual rights and responsibilities under state
and federal laws. Individuals needing assistance and information can call
toll-free 855-ASAP211 (855-272-7211) and speak directly with an advocate
trained to resolve access challenges as the result of the choice to use a
service dog to mitigate their disability. ASAP211 is provided at no charge
as a public service to the disabled community.

Advocates for Service Animal Partners (ASAP) is a nationwide network of
volunteer service animal advocates. Our goal is to encourage, educate, and
support service animal handlers through printed and electronic publications,
Informational webinars, recorded educational materials, and direct advocacy
support, intervention, and mediation. ASAP also provides in-service training
to employers, governmental entities, private companies, housing
accommodations, and the airline industry about the rights, responsibilities,
and limitations of access under state and federal law. For more information
about the rights and responsibilities of service animal handlers and the
businesses we patronize, please contact 

Advocates for Service Animal Partners Inc.

386-ASAP411 (386-272-7411)

 <mailto:Advocacy411 at gmail.com> Advocacy411 at gmail.com

 <http://ServiceAnimals.info> http://ServiceAnimals.info

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