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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#467886" vlink="#96607D" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Please circulate the following message as widely as appropriate. If you received this message as a forward and would like to be added to our group distribution list, please complete the contact form provided within this message.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> On Wednesday, May 29, an Airbnb host was arraigned in Tampa, Florida on criminal charges stemming from the removal of a service animal handler from his property. Juan Gomez – the Airbnb host – was not present during the arraignment but was represented by legal counsel. On behalf of Mr. Gomez, his attorney entered a plea of “Not guilty” and requested a trial by jury. The judge set a trial date for Monday, July 22. Our local CBS affiliate covered the story and their investigative reporter is interested in pursuing more stories about the challenges we face as service animal handlers. Here is the link to view the report on the arraignment.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/crime/tampa-man-charged-airbnb-service-dog/67-028f8c26-2732-46a8-ab81-03844716b02b">https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/crime/tampa-man-charged-airbnb-service-dog/67-028f8c26-2732-46a8-ab81-03844716b02b</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> 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. When she called the Hillsborough County Sherrif’s Office for assistance, explaining such denial was a criminal offense, the disabled woman was laughed at by a deputy who asserted she did not know what she was talking about. Frustrated at the response from the sheriff’s office, she called Advocates for Service Animal Partners (ASAP) which operates a 24-hour telephone hotline to help with such issues. ASAP just happens to be headquartered in Tampa and the advocate on the hotline was one of the most recognized service animal advocates in the country!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“I couldn’t believe how dismissive the deputy was when I told her it was a criminal offense in Florida,” says Liz Hartranft, whose service dog is trained to alert her to the onset of seizures. “I gave her the statute number and even read it to her but she refused to do so much as to look it up Rather than help me, she laughed in my face. I felt so humiliated!”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>According to Florida statute 413.08, 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. Violation of this law is a second degree misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500, incarceration of up to six months, and the performance of up to thirty hours of community service. All states have similar provisions with thirty-seven providing such criminal remedies. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“This is not an unusual response by law enforcement,” says Marion Gwizdala, ASAP’s CEO and the advocate who happened to take this particular call. “After I quoted the law by literally section and verse, I had an HCSO dispatcher advise me to call the Better Business Bureau!”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> The criminal charges were the direct result of ASAP’s tenacity, expertise, and profile as they pressed the sheriff’s office to file charges. Coupling this with the body camera video when a deputy finally did show up depicting Mr. Gomez’s indignance even after being warned he was violating state and federal law gave law enforcement no choice but to file criminal charges. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'>According to Gwizdala, Advocates for Service Animal Partners has attempted to work with law enforcement around the country to solve this pervasive problem but their interest in doing so only lasts as long as the issue is in the media. Gwizdala asserts.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“People with disabilities are marginalized by businesses and when we assert our rights, we are marginalized even further by those sworn to protect and serve,” says Gwizdala.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> Advocates for Service Animal Partners is seeking testimonials from service animal handlers concerning their contact with law enforcement when attempting to assert their civil rights. Please send us an email telling us about these incidents. It would be helpful to provide an approximate date and time, along with the name of the law enforcement agency, including the state, with which you had contact and the type of business where you had the access issue. It also would be helpful to provide your name and contact information should we need more details but this is completely voluntary and your information will not be shared with anyone else. We will not add you to our group distribution list unless you specifically request to be added. Please send these testimonials to advocates for Service Animal Partners at<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:Advocacy411@gmail.com">Advocacy411@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> If you would like to be added to our group distribution list and receive important updates and information from the service animal partners’ community, please visit our website and complete the contact form found at<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://serviceanimals.info/BecomeaPartner.html">https://serviceanimals.info/BecomeaPartner.html</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>Advocates for Service Animal Partners 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.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>Advocates for Service Animal Partners 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 <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>Advocates for Service Animal Partners Inc.</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>386-ASAP411 (386-272-7411)</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;text-align:center'><a href="mailto:Advocacy411@gmail.com"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0563C1'>Advocacy411@gmail.com</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto'><a href="http://ServiceAnimals.info"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>http://ServiceAnimals.info</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-ligatures:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>