Service Dog Alliance of Florida

09/01/2026

Know your rights and the TSA airport screening process.
Since mid-July we have been contacted about three different experiences of airport screenings of individuals with disabilities who use assistive devices and service animals. These were encounters controlled by TSA at Denver, Tennessee, and Orlando – all international airports. The issues were a) separating the service animal from the handler b) requiring abandonment of assistive devices during the screening process. Additionally, the request(s) for a written copy of the referenced policy being enforced was denied. Iin one instance the TSA agent refused to provide their name.
Please make sure to file a report when situations like these occur. We understand that it may not go anywhere. However, data can be used for systemic changes and benefit all air passengers with disabities.
During a TSA interaction if you encounter any issues, immediately ask for a supervisor.
Seek assistance from TSA Cares Passenger Support Specialist. Within 72 hours of flight call (855)787-2227 or via internet form if more than 72 hours https://www.tsa.gov/contact-center/form/cares
Document date, time, name of TSA agent, checkpoint/airport area and specifics of the access issue so you can file a TSA complaint https://www.tsa.gov/contact-center/form/complaints
What is the TSA screening process?
From TSA Disabilities & Medical Conditions
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/tsa-cares/disabilities-and-medical-conditions

Mobility Disabilities, Aids & Devices

Inform the TSA Officer
Inform the TSA officer of your ability to walk or stand independently before screening. If you have difficulty standing, you may ask for a chair or you may request to be screened while seated in your wheelchair or scooter.
• Aids: Walkers, crutches, walking canes or other mobility aids and devices must undergo X-ray screening. A TSA officer will inspect the item if it cannot fit through the X-ray. Notify the TSA officer if you need to be immediately reunited with the device after it is screened by X-ray.
• Wheelchairs and Scooters: TSA officers will screen wheelchairs and scooters to include the seat cushions and any non-removable pouches or f***y packs. Items will be tested for traces of explosives, and removable items will undergo X-ray screening. The TSA officer will physically inspect the cushion(s) to the extent possible and may use other screening methods to clear your cushion(s).
• Screening in Standard Lanes
• If you are able to stand and walk, you will be screened by technology. If you are ineligible for screening by technology, a pat-down will be conducted.
• If you are 75 years of age or older in a wheelchair or scooter, you may remain seated and the TSA officer will conduct a test of your hands for trace of explosives.
• Screening in TSA PreCheck® Lanes
• If you are unable to stand or walk, you may remain seated in your mobility device and the TSA officer will conduct a test of your hands for any trace of explosives.
Prosthesis, Casts, Support Braces, Slings, Support Appliances
• Inform the TSA Officer
• Before screening begins, inform the TSA officer about the location of a prosthesis, cast, support brace, sling or support appliance.
• You may voluntarily remove your prosthesis, cast, support brace, sling or support appliance prior to screening and submit it for X-ray screening.
• Screening in Standard Lanes
• Your prosthesis, cast, support brace, sling or support appliance is subject to additional screening, including inspection, hand-held metal detector screening, a test of your hands, and a test of the medical device for trace of explosives. If your support brace alarms during this process, it must be removed for X-ray screening.
• Screening in TSA PreCheck® Lanes
• Additional screening is required if your prosthesis, cast, support brace, sling or support appliance sets off the alarms in the WTMD or AIT. If required, the TSA officer will direct you to conduct a self-pat down of the medical device, test your hands for trace of explosives, and conduct hand-held metal detector screening on the medical device.
• Screening of prosthesis
• At any time during the screening process, you may request private screening and have a witness of your choice present. In some instances, you may be asked to adjust your clothing to allow the TSA officer to screen your prosthesis, cast, support brace, sling or support appliance. Any individual wearing a light outer garment or bulky clothing when screened through Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) will be asked to divest their light outwear or bulky clothing. Please note that TSA will not request that you expose a sensitive body area (breast, groin, or buttocks) during screening.
Service Animals
Inform the TSA Officer
Inform the TSA officer about your service animal. TSA will not separate you from your service animal.
Screening in Standard and TSA PreCheck® Lanes
You and your service animal will be screened by the WTMD. You may walk through together or you may lead the animal through separately on a leash. If you alarm the WTMD, you and your service animal will undergo additional screening, including a pat-down.
For metal detector screening, please consider using items (harness, vest, or leash) on your service animals that have little to no metal.
If you opt not to be screened by the WTMD, you and your service animal will undergo a pat-down.
If you are not screened by technology due to the use of a mobility device, you will receive additional screening which may include a pat-down and screening of your mobility device and service animal.
Passengers aged 75 and older with mobility devices may receive alternative screening procedures, which can include remaining seated while security officers conduct necessary checks of the individual, their device, and any accompanying service animal.
TSA PreCheck passengers who are unable to stand or walk may remain seated in their mobility device during screening. Security officers will conduct appropriate checks of the passenger, their mobility device, and any service animal.
Additional screening of your service animal may consist of a combination of visual inspection and/or a pat-down to determine that the animal is not carrying any prohibited items. Service animal collars, harnesses, leashes, backpacks, vests and other items are subject to screening. Please consider using items that have little to no metal. Items that are necessary to maintain control of the service animal do not need to be removed. The TSA officer will ask for your assistance before touching the service animal and its belongings.
If you need to relieve your service animal and exit the security checkpoint, you and the service animal will need to go through the screening process again. Request to move to the front of the line upon your return.
Medication and food items for service animals must go through X-ray or inspection screening. Please separate large quantities of food items and medications (unless directed otherwise to keep these items in your bag) and inform the TSA officer that you carry these items for your service animal.

The TSA Cares: Disabilities and Medical Conditions page provides guidance for travelers with disabilities, medical conditions, and assistive devices to ensure a smooth screening process at airport security checkpoints.

09/01/2026

08/26/2026

08/25/2026

Today, we recognize the Citrus County Government Board of County Commissioners as 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 for outstanding leadership in fostering an inclusive, accessible community for all when service animals are present.

This journey began in 2019 with a simple request: a small, all-volunteer nonprofit wanted to use a community room to provide public education for service dog handlers. Our mission was—and remains—to remove barriers to housing, employment, and public spaces for people who rely on service animals.

Citrus County understood its obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act while also facing the real-world challenges that can arise when animals are present in public facilities. County staff began attending our educational workshops. That participation changed the conversation. Training became not simply about the rights of people with disabilities, but about the rights and responsibilities of everyone—businesses, employees, and people with and without service animals.

Citrus County became the first municipality to establish dedicated staff training on service animal law. Eric C. Head began this work with Citrus County Library System staff and expanded it to the Community Services Division. Service Dog Alliance remained available to county staff when difficult or unusual situations arose.

But Citrus County recognized that training staff alone was not enough.
People were bringing animals into public buildings and community spaces, sometimes misrepresenting an animal as a service animal. Others with disabilities related to animal allergies were sometimes told that nothing could be done. The county recognized that meaningful accessibility requires education, communication, and practical solutions—not simply compliance with the minimum legal standard.

In June 2023, County Administrator Steve Howard became a powerful change agent in this effort. He transformed the relationship between county government and Service Dog Alliance by embracing a vision that connected our organization's mantra, “𝑨𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏,” with Citrus County's “𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐫𝐔𝐬” culture of shared values, teamwork, and communication.

County staff Eric Head and Veronica Kampschoer were empowered to participate in the community’s development of a pilot project, launched by Service Dog Alliance in 2024.

Now, that partnership can be seen throughout Citrus County.
Walk into the Lecanto Government Center and you will see a Service Animals Welcome poster on the door. Visit a county library and you may find a rack card explaining the responsibilities of a service animal handler. Public-facing county buildings display a door decal highlighting 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝟒𝟏𝟑.𝟎𝟖 - reminding the public that knowingly and willfully misrepresenting the use of a service animal is a crime in Florida.

These are more than signs and training materials. They represent a commitment to creating welcoming public spaces through education, communication, and respect.

In 2026, Service Dog Alliance remains a small nonprofit. Yet our partnership with Citrus County has helped expand our reach throughout Florida and across the nation. The best practices developed here were shared with hundreds of ADA professionals during our 2026 National ADA Symposium workshop, demonstrating how municipalities across the country can replicate this model.

For recognizing that accessibility is not merely about meeting a legal requirement, but about creating a culture where people understand their rights, responsibilities, and a shared value in the community, we proudly recognize the Citrus County Board of County Commissioners as Service Animal Champions. Thank you for your leadership, your partnership, and your commitment to access through education.

08/20/2026

With gladness and sadness announce the departure of Yohance Pettis from the US Attorneys Office Middle District of Florida’s Civil Rights Division.

As Deputy Chief, Mr. Pettis oversaw many cases involving disability discrimination. His leadership and legal prowess will be missed. Thank you for your federal service and making a difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities.

Best wishes as a Osborne, Francis, & Pettis firm partner as you concentrate on representing civil rights matters. Thank you for moving forward your 15 years of experience with the Department of Justice. That institutional knowledge will be invaluable.

Meet Yohance A. Pettis and learn why he is a nationally recognized leader in Civil Rights Law.

08/11/2026

Imagine a university adopts a policy that identifies laboratories as “Service Animal Prohibited Areas.”

Not a particular procedure.
Not a specific hazard.
Not a temporary restriction based on what is happening in the laboratory that day.

The space itself is designated prohibited.

Now imagine a qualified student with a disability wants to pursue a STEM degree that requires laboratory participation. Their service dog is an essential part of how they access their education.

Before anyone evaluates the student. Before anyone evaluates the service dog. Before anyone examines the actual laboratory, the research being conducted, potential exposure pathways, available engineering controls, PPE, positioning protocols, or reasonable modifications—the policy has already reached the conclusion: the service dog does not belong there.

That raises an important question:

Is that really a risk assessment—or is it a predetermined exclusion?

Laboratory safety matters. Biosecurity matters. Research integrity matters.

But those concerns should be addressed through individualized, evidence-based risk assessment, not assumptions that every laboratory presents the same hazards or that every service animal presents the same risk.

A legitimate assessment should ask:

What is the hazard? What is the credible exposure pathway? What is the actual risk? What controls can reduce that risk?

Sometimes, after that analysis, a particular procedure or area may legitimately require restriction.

But the assessment should determine the outcome. The outcome should not be written into the policy before the assessment ever begins.

That distinction matters—because for a student with a disability, the difference between assessing access and presuming exclusion can determine whether an entire scientific career remains accessible.

And when students, researchers, or professionals encounter policies that presume exclusion rather than genuinely assess access, we will advocate alongside them.

This is not a hypothetical example - this is happening now in real time. Happening to several students.

We will continue pushing for individualized assessment, evidence-based decision-making, meaningful consideration of reasonable modifications, and policies that protect laboratory safety without unnecessarily closing the doors of science to people with disabilities.

Because disabled scientists should not have to choose between the disability supports they need and the careers they have worked so hard to pursue.

We commend those who are being proactive in development of inclusive policy, those who are reaching out and having us come speak, or conduct a risk assessment. But to those who are resistant, trust me, I am INSISTENT!

We will keep advocating until access is evaluated by evidence—not assumptions.

08/03/2026

🐾 Confused about service animals, emotional support animals and pets in public places? You’re not alone, and the Service Dog Alliance of Florida is here to help.

The Service Dog Alliance of Florida provides 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 education and training for local businesses, government agencies, employees, community organizations and residents. Our goal is to help everyone better understand service-animal access while supporting both individuals with disabilities and the businesses that serve them.

We offer:

✅ 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 training for business owners and staff

✅ 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 presentations for local government and community groups

✅ 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 “Service Animals Welcome” door decals

✅ 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 educational handouts and resources

✅ Practical guidance for handling service-animal situations respectfully and appropriately

Clear information can help reduce confusion, prevent discrimination and give business owners the confidence to address concerns professionally.

Is your business, agency or organization interested in a free training session or educational materials? Reach out to the Service Dog Alliance of Florida today. Please share this post so we can help educate and support more of our community!

08/03/2026

If you’re a business owner, it’s your responsibility to educate yourself about how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations on service animals affect you. For example, do you know whether or not you can charge maintenance or cleaning fees for customers who bring service animals into your business? Get the answer: https://adata.org/faq/can-i-charge-maintenance-or-cleaning-fees-customers-who-bring-service-animals-my-business

08/03/2026

With National ADA Symposium – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉