Service Dog Alliance of Florida

04/07/2026

𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 to Lindsay Tozer, Service Dog Alliance advisory board member. She is now part of the official congressional record. Last night at the ceremony in Brooksville, she was recognized as a 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐀𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐬 by Congressman Gus Bilirakis.

When you see her make sure you thank her for promoting service dog awareness and her steadfast support of other local non-profits.

Read into the Congressional Record and now in the National Archives:

💬 "Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding service and leadership of Lindsay Tozer, a volunteer advisory board member for the Service Dog Alliance of Florida, where she also serves as chair of its public awareness campaign. Ms. Tozer has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to advancing accessibility, dignity, and equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities who rely on service animals in their daily lives.

While Florida Statutes 413.08 and 413.081 – enacted in 2015 – provide important legal protections for service animals, including coverage for animals in training and penalties for misrepresentation or interference, these safeguards have historically been underrecognized by the public and even by some in law enforcement. Recognizing this gap, Ms. Tozer led a comprehensive effort to improve public understanding and compliance with these critical laws. As campaign chair, she convened a diverse group of community leaders and stakeholders to develop a clear and effective public awareness toolkit, including rack cards, door decals, and posters. Initially piloted in Citrus County, these materials were designed for use by businesses and local governments to reduce service animal misrepresentation while reinforcing both the rights and responsibilities of handlers and establishments. Following the success of the pilot program, this initiative has now been implemented statewide.

Her concise and powerful message – “Service Animals Welcome. It’s a crime to misrepresent.” – has resonated widely with service animal handlers and business owners alike, fostering greater awareness and encouraging meaningful dialogue in communities across Florida.

In addition to her leadership in public outreach, Ms. Tozer serves as the organization’s lead social media specialist, ensuring that information is timely, accessible, and widely distributed. She has also become a model for digital accessibility, aligning organizational communications with best practices such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and setting a high standard for peer organizations. The impact of her work has been both measurable and meaningful, resulting in a 28 percent increase in training requests and a 21 percent increase in requests for technical assistance – clear evidence of the effectiveness of her outreach and leadership.

Lindsay Tozer exemplifies the very best of public service and professional excellence. She is a dedicated communicator, a trusted advocate, and a tireless relationship builder whose work has strengthened partnerships among businesses, nonprofit organizations, and local governments throughout Florida. Her efforts have helped build more informed, inclusive, and accessible communities.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize Ms. Tozer for her exemplary service and her lasting contributions to improving the lives of individuals with disabilities."

Gus M. Bilirakis
Member of Congress

04/05/2026

🌷🐾 𝑯𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝑬𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝑫𝒐𝒈 𝑨𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 🐣

This season is all about new beginnings, hope, and the bonds that bring us together - and that includes the incredible connection between service dogs and the individuals they support every day.

As you celebrate with family and friends, we’re grateful for a community that continues to learn, support, and advocate for accessibility and inclusion. Together, we can ensure that every handler and service dog team is welcomed and respected everywhere they go.

Wishing you a joyful, peaceful Easter filled with love (and maybe a few tail wags, too!). 💛🐕‍🦺

03/29/2026

🐾 Awareness. Access. Advocacy. 🐾

We kicked off our public awareness campaign in Citrus County two years ago—and we’re proud to continue building a more informed and inclusive community.

Service animals are not pets—they are highly trained to perform critical tasks that support independence and safety. Together, we’re working to educate our community, reduce misunderstandings, and ensure businesses and public spaces remain welcoming and compliant.

💡 Did you know? Misrepresenting a service animal is not only harmful—it’s against the law.

If you’d like more information or would like us to bring this awareness to your organization or community, please let us know—this is a free service we’re proud to offer. 💙

Email from Board of County Commissioners Animal Care & Advocacy   March 29, 2026 Sunday Commentary Leadership that Listens! Animal Services & Service Animal Appreciation As you may have heard, Citrus

03/26/2026

Today, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida (collectively, the “Department”) filed a lawsuit against United Parks & Resorts Inc. and its subsidiaries (UPR), alleging UPR’s policy banning guests with disabilities from using wheeled walkers with seats, including rollators, violates Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). UPR is a global theme park and entertainment company that owns, leases, or operates twelve parks and experiences in the United States, including SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Discovery Cove Orlando, and Aquatica Orlando.

“The ADA requires equal access for people with disabilities, and theme parks such as SeaWorld are no exception,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Under my leadership, the Division is committed to defending the rights of all Americans with disabilities, as the law requires.”

“The ADA requires theme park companies like UPR to provide guests with equal access, regardless of ability,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “This complaint reinforces our commitment to holding public accommodations in the Middle District of Florida accountable when they engage in disability discrimination.”

The ADA prohibits discrimination based on disability by public accommodations, including UPR and its theme parks. The ADA requires UPR to permit individuals with disabilities to use manually powered mobility aids, including walkers, in areas open for pedestrian use.

The Department sued UPR based on complaints from many people with disabilities alleging UPR would not allow them to enter its parks with their wheeled walkers with seats. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, alleges that UPR’s policy banning wheeled walkers with seats prevented children, veterans, and other individuals with disabilities from accessing the parks, facially violating the ADA. The civil complaint also alleges that UPR imposes impermissible surcharges on guests with disabilities in the form of rental fees and refuses to reasonably modify UPR’s policies, practices, or procedures, where necessary, to avoid discriminating against guests with disabilities.

The lawsuit seeks a court order to force UPR to stop discriminating against individuals with disabilities, to modify its policies to comply with the ADA, and to train its staff on the ADA. The lawsuit also seeks monetary damages to compensate aggrieved individuals subjected to UPR’s discrimination and demands UPR pay a civil penalty to vindicate the public’s interest in eliminating disability discrimination.

If you believe you have been a victim of disability discrimination by United Parks & Resorts Inc., including parks such as SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Discovery Cove Orlando, and Aquatica Orlando, please file a complaint with the Civil Rights Division online at www.civilrights.justice.gov, or by calling the Department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 1-800-514-0301 (1-833-610-1264 (TTY)). For more information on the ADA and the Civil Rights Division, please visit www.ada.gov or www.justice.gov/crt.

Updated March 26, 2026

https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.justice.gov%2Fopa%2Fpr%2Fjustice-department-sues-seaworld-and-other-theme-parks-over-wheeled-walker-ban/1/0100019d2ae2a33d-95e10833-4b32-41c9-bc51-493c0050c2e7-000000/9gTCTTrYOX1OYgNA4mfoSGuu5ZClw15k_JvwjQCBEFY=450

Disability rights are civil rights. From voting to parking, the ADA is a law that protects people with disabilities in many areas of public life.

03/17/2026

Service dog handler feedback wanted. Participate in this research project looking at service dog training.

03/16/2026

In case you missed it, Unleashing Service Animal Best Practices in Healthcare Settings is now available on Youtube.

The ADA sets clear rules for service animals, yet real-world application in healthcare is rarely one-size-fits-all. This session goes beyond the two allowabl...

03/15/2026

Service dog in training Magellan made his public debut at the Citrus County Chronicle Healthy Living Fair at the College of Central Florida.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) allows dogs who have been trained to mitigate an individual's disability to accompany the person in most p***c places. The ADA does not cover service animals in training.

Florida, like other states, law goes beyond the ADA and permits service animals in training and holds them to the same standards as fully trained service animals.

Photo 1: Magellan, a red standard poodle, stands outside of the College of Central Florida Citrus campus. He was waiting to attend the Healthy Living Fair.

Photo 2: Wendy Hall was volunteering at the Citrus Aid Cancer Foundation booth during the Helathy Living Fair. Service dog in training Magellan had a break to socialize with her.

03/02/2026

Thank you Pacific ADA Center for hosting us on the ADA Healthcare Webinar Series. We are grateful for the opportunity to be featured and part of your YouTube archive.

Access delayed is access denied, especially in healthcare. When service animal handlers and healthcare facilities focus on compliance with the law, planning, communication, and collaboration everyone wins.

The ADA sets clear rules for service animals, yet real-world application in healthcare is rarely one-size-fits-all. This session goes beyond the two allowabl...

02/22/2026

Looking for a volunteer, who will do some Cricut Idie cutting our logo) work for us? We will supply the materials. Ýou supply the machine and the talent.

Service Dog Alliance is a small all volunteer nonprofit.  Make a difference working your own hours at home.

We’ve had a long time volunteer who had been helping us with our branding, but life circumstances require them to give up this important job.

Feel free to call with questions or email.

352-410-6500

Servicedogaf@hotmail.com

02/21/2026

Grateful to the ADA National Network Healthcare Committee and the Pacific ADA Center for the opportunity to feature service animals as an important assistive device.

Research has shown that individuals with disabilities face significant and ongoing barriers to accessing healthcare, resulting in poorer health outcomes, higher rates of chronic conditions, and increased emergency room utilization. At Service Dog Alliance, we have found that using a service animal may, in some cases, increase barriers to care.

Access delayed is access denied. It is essential for service animal handlers, healthcare providers, and other patients and visitors to understand the rights and responsibilities of all.

Together, we can ensure safe and unfettered access to timely, patient-centered services for everyone.

Grateful to the National ADA Network Healthcare Committee and the Pacific ADA Center for the opportunity to feature service animals as an important assistive device. Research has shown that individuals with disabilities face significant and ongoing barriers to accessing healthcare, resulting in poor...

02/16/2026

From Aspire STEAM Studio:

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝘁!

𝐻𝑖 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛,
𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑟𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑙𝑦… 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛’𝑡 𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ.

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑛 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎 ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑓 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑝ℎ𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑙. 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑘𝑠 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑏𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑜.

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑘𝑖𝑑𝑠 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑 — 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑦 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑑. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑚 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙. 𝑆𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑇ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑑𝑎𝑦, 𝐼’𝑣𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑖𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑠 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑛 𝑤𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑔𝑠, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑. 𝑇ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑒𝑑 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑚 — 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡’𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑓𝑢𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑑.

𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑜 𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑖𝑔𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑎 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝑌𝑜𝑢’𝑟𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑛 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑠, 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝑌𝑜𝑢’𝑟𝑒 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠.

𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑦 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑙𝑦 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑖𝑑. 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒, 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑠𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑔𝑠.

𝑊𝑒 ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒.

𝑊𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒,
𝑅𝑒𝑒𝑠𝑒
𝐴𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝑆𝑇𝐸𝐴𝑀 𝑆𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑖𝑜

𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝟏: Merlyn Lewis, Service Dog Alliance of Florida, holds the leash of service dog in training Magellan, while service dogs Rilee and Sterling lay calmly in back of them. On February 12 they had a chance to demonstrate the behaviors and skills of service dogs to the Aspire Steam Studio at Independence Elementary School in Winter Garden.

𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨 𝟐: Aspire Steam Studio assistant Tabitha stopped for a group photo with service dogs Rilee and Sterling and service dog in training Magellan. The afterschool program demonstration was to help younsters understand the jobs service animals perform and possible careers.

02/10/2026

A retired Air Force veteran in Texas struggled to find work because he needed his service dog Charlotte by his side, so Lowe’s hired them both. According to USA Today, Clay Luthy injured both knees during his military service and relied on his service dog for mobility and support. Many employers were hesitant to accommodate his need to have Charlotte with him, making his job search difficult.

According to InspireMore, Lowe’s in Abilene decided to hire them both, welcoming Clay and Charlotte as a team. Charlotte was given her own Lowe’s vest and quickly became a familiar sight to customers. Photos of the pair working together went viral online. The decision highlighted Lowe’s commitment to inclusivity and support for veterans, while also showing how workplaces can adapt to employees’ needs.

The story of Clay and Charlotte continues to inspire people as an example of compassion and opportunity. It demonstrates how giving veterans a chance to thrive alongside their service animals can benefit both the employee and the community.