FYI:
http://www.news4jax.com/news/fake-service-dog-legislation-takes-effect/33925678
Starting Wednesday, people using fake service dogs might find it a littler harder to pull off their scam. New legislation gives businesses more flexibility, but the legislation also makes sure people with real disabilities aren’t mistreated.
The new legislation provides for up to 60 days in jail or a $500 fine for people who use a fake service dog, or for merchants who refuse access to litigate service dogs. Someone convicted can also be ordered to do 30 hours of community service helping the disabled community
For me, I see my hands about there,” Tiffany Baylor, a service dog owner, said.
Baylor and her dog Lando are one of the reasons Florida has a new law on fake service dogs.
The Florida Restaurant Association pushed for a change when it saw a trend of increasing abuse.
“We hear some of the strangest stories of people who believe their monkeys are service animals,” said Carol Dover, of the Restaurant and Lodging Association.
Cracking down on those who abuse the system has gone nowhere for several years. But that changed last fall when Baylor and Lando were harassed by guards at the state museum. The video caused protests.
Baylor got a quick apology. She’s then since given sensitivity training to the guards who stopped her, but she said impostors are giving legitimate service dogs a bad name.
“People who pass their pets off as service are making people question and second guess us,” Baylor said.
Service dogs, when they are working, are all business.
“Consciousness is all about his job,” Baylor said.
But When Lando isn’t working, he can be just as playful as any other dog.
The bottom line: focus is the easiest way to tell a real service dog from a fake.
Link to the actual rule:
http://laws.flrules.org/node/6921
A person who knowingly and willfully misrepresents herself or
himself, through conduct or verbal or written notice, as using a service
animal and being qualified to use a service animal or as a trainer of a service
animal commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided
in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083 and must perform 30 hours of community service
for an organization that serves individuals with disabilities, or for another
entity or organization at the discretion of the court, to be completed in not
more than 6 months
http://www.news4jax.com/news/fake-service-dog-legislation-takes-effect/33925678
Starting Wednesday, people using fake service dogs might find it a littler harder to pull off their scam. New legislation gives businesses more flexibility, but the legislation also makes sure people with real disabilities aren’t mistreated.
The new legislation provides for up to 60 days in jail or a $500 fine for people who use a fake service dog, or for merchants who refuse access to litigate service dogs. Someone convicted can also be ordered to do 30 hours of community service helping the disabled community
For me, I see my hands about there,” Tiffany Baylor, a service dog owner, said.
Baylor and her dog Lando are one of the reasons Florida has a new law on fake service dogs.
The Florida Restaurant Association pushed for a change when it saw a trend of increasing abuse.
“We hear some of the strangest stories of people who believe their monkeys are service animals,” said Carol Dover, of the Restaurant and Lodging Association.
Cracking down on those who abuse the system has gone nowhere for several years. But that changed last fall when Baylor and Lando were harassed by guards at the state museum. The video caused protests.
Baylor got a quick apology. She’s then since given sensitivity training to the guards who stopped her, but she said impostors are giving legitimate service dogs a bad name.
“People who pass their pets off as service are making people question and second guess us,” Baylor said.
Service dogs, when they are working, are all business.
“Consciousness is all about his job,” Baylor said.
But When Lando isn’t working, he can be just as playful as any other dog.
The bottom line: focus is the easiest way to tell a real service dog from a fake.
Link to the actual rule:
http://laws.flrules.org/node/6921
A person who knowingly and willfully misrepresents herself or
himself, through conduct or verbal or written notice, as using a service
animal and being qualified to use a service animal or as a trainer of a service
animal commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided
in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083 and must perform 30 hours of community service
for an organization that serves individuals with disabilities, or for another
entity or organization at the discretion of the court, to be completed in not
more than 6 months
