Overview
- Advocacy organizations, including the United Spinal Association, filed an expanded lawsuit that asks a judge to halt Florida’s new policy and cancel temporary pregnancy permits, and no hearing date has been set.
- Florida’s law, passed last year, lets pregnant women obtain temporary disabled parking permits, and the state has issued thousands of them to people who would not qualify under federal standards.
- Plaintiffs argue the statute conflicts with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which sets who qualifies for accessible parking, by granting ADA-space access to people outside those criteria.
- Advocates cite a supply gap in Florida, with estimates that about 20% of drivers hold some form of disabled permit while federal guidance requires only 2% to 4% of spaces be accessible, which they say leaves fewer spots for people with mobility disabilities.
- Major theme parks such as Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld manage accessible parking on private property, yet off-site hotels, restaurants, and other public lots still feel tighter access as more permit holders compete for limited ADA spaces.