FLORIDA

Florida Statute: 413.08

413.08 Rights of deaf, blind, visually handicapped, and other physically
disabled persons; use of dog guides or nonhuman primates of the genus
Cebus; discrimination in public employment or housing accommodations;
penalties.

(1) (a) The deaf, blind, visually handicapped, and otherwise physically
disable are entitled to full and equal accommodations, advantages,
facilities, and privileges on all common carriers, airplanes, motor
vehicles, railroad trains, motor buses, streetcars, boats, and other
public conveyances or modes of transportation and at hotels, lodging
places, places of public accommodation, amusement, or resort, and other
places to which the general public is invited, subject only to the
conditions and limitations established by law and applicable alike to
all persons.  Nothing in this section shall require any person, firm,
or corporation, or any agent thereof, to modify or provide any vehicle,
premises, facility, or service to a higher degree of accommodation than
is required for a person not so disabled.

(b) Every deaf person, totally or partially blind person, or physically
disabled person shall have the right to be accompanied by a dog guide
or service dog, specially trained for the purpose, in any of the places
listed in paragraph (a) without being required to pay an extra charge
for the dog guide or service dog; however, he shall be liable for any
damage done to the premises or facilities by such dog.  The dog guide
or service dog must be capable of being properly identified as being
from a recognized school for seeing eye, hearing ear, service, or guide
dogs.

(c) Every person with paraplegia or quadriplegia shall have the right
to be accompanied by a nonhuman primate of the genus Cebus, specially
trained for the purpose of providing personal care services, in any of
the places listed in paragraph (a) without being required to pay an
extra charge for the nonhuman primate; however, he shall be liable for
any damage done to the premises or facilities by such nonhuman primate.

(d) A place listed in paragraph (a) that keeps or displays animals for
public display or education may refuse to allow a dog guide or service
dog to accompany a deaf person, totally or partially blind person, or
physically disabled person while such person is visiting that place, if
the place provides a personal guide for such person and makes secure
provision for the dog for the duration of the visit at no cost to the
physically disabled person.

(2) Except as provided in paragraph (1) (d), any person, firm, or
corporation, or agent of any person, firm, or enjoyment of , the public
facilities enumerated in subsection (1) or otherwise interferes with the
rights of a deaf person, a totally or partially blind person, or an
otherwise physically disabled person under this section is guilty of a
misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082
or s. 775.083.

(3) It is the policy of this state that the deaf, blind, visually
handicapped, and otherwise physically disabled shall be employed in the
service of the state or political subdivisions of the state, in the
public schools, and in all other employment supported in whole or in
part by public funds, and no employer shall refuse employment to the
deaf, blind, the visually handicapped, or the otherwise physically
disabled on the basis of the disability alone, unless it is shown that
the particular disability prevents the satisfactory performance of the
work involved.

(4) Deaf person, blind persons, visually handicapped persons, and
otherwise physically disabled persons shall be entitled to rent, lease,
or purchase, as other members of the general public, any housing
accommodations offered for rent, lease, or other compensation in this
state, subject to the conditions and limitations established by law and
applicable alike to all persons.

(a) "Housing accommodations" means any real property or portion thereof
which is used or occupied, or intended, arranged, or designed to be used
or occupied, as the home, residence, or sleeping place of one or more
human beings, but does not include any single-family residence the
occupants of which rent, lease, or furnish for compensation not more
than one room therein.

(b) Nothing in this section shall require any person renting, leasing,
or otherwise providing real property for compensation to modify his
property in any way or provide a visually handicapped person, or
otherwise physically disabled person than for a person who is not so
handicapped.

(c) Each person, totally or partially blind person, or otherwise
physically disable person who has a dog guide, or who obtains a dog
guide, shall be entitled to full and equal access to all housing
accommodations provided for in this section, and he shall not be
required to pay extra compensation for such dog guide.  However, he
shall be liable for any damage done to the premises by such dog guide.

(d) Each person with paraplegia or quadriplegia who has or obtains a
nonhuman primate of the genus Cebus, specially trained for the purpose
of providing personal care services, shall be entitled to full and equal
access to all housing accommodations provided for in this section, and
he shall not be required to pay extra compensation for such nonhuman
primate.  However, he shall be liable for any damage done to the
premises by such nonhuman primate.

(5) Any employer covered under subsection (3) who discriminates against
the deaf, blind, visually handicapped, or otherwise physically disabled
in employment, unless it is shown that the particular disability
prevents the satisfactory performance of the work involved, or any
person, firm, or corporation, or agent of any person, firm, or
corporation, who discriminates against the deaf, blind, visually
handicapped, or otherwise physically disabled is guilty of a misdemeanor
of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s.
775.083.

(6) For the purposes of this section, the term "physically disabled
person" means any person having a physical impairment that substantially
limits one or more major life activities.

(7) Any trainer of a dog guide, while engaged in the training of such
dog, has the same rights and privileges with respect to access to public
facilities and the same liability for damage as is provided for deaf or
blind persons accompanied by dog guides.

(8) Any trainer of nonhuman primate of the genus Cebus, while engaged
in training such nonhuman primate to provide personal care services to
a person with paraplegia or quadriplegia, has the same rights and
privileges with respect to access to public facilities and the same
liability for damage as is provided for persons with paraplegia or
quadriplegia accompanied by nonhuman primates of the genus Cebus.  As
used in the subsection, "trainer of a nonhuman primate of the genus
Cebus" means a paid employee of a training organization, and does not
include volunteers chosen to raise the animals.

History. --s. 1, ch. 25268, 1949; s. 1, ch. 61-217; s. 361, ch. 71-136;
s. 1, ch. 71-276; s. 1, ch. 73-110; s. 1, ch. 74-286; s. 1, ch. 77-174;
s. 19, ch. 77-259; s. 178, ch. 79-400; s. 1, ch. 82-111; s. 73, ch. 83-
218; s. 60, ch. 85-81; s. 1, ch. 87-312; s. 1, ch. 89-317; s. 1, ch. 90-
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