Category Archives: Civil Rights Laws
Miami Herald 5/19/23 Op-Ed–Take Steps
An adequate transportation system that provides equal access is an essential component to ensuring persons with disabilities can live independently.
Changes to Florida Statutes that Effect Civil Rights and Fair Housing in Florida
By: Matthew Dietz During the 2020 legislative session, there has been significant changes in statutes that prohibit discrimination in the State of Florida. These changes affect the way that civil rights claims are processed by the administrative agency that investigates such claims, the rights of claimants for they day in court, and it also… Read More »
City of Tampa Files Race and Gender Discrimination in Housing Case
Ms. Washington was targeted by a housing provider who felt emboldened to prey on a vulnerable resident who could not move to a new location because of the lack of affordable housing options. For months, Ms. Washington was subject to racial and sexual harassment, false reports to authorities so she would have her children removed or housing vouchers revoked, harassment of her guests because of their color, and a wrongful eviction.
MAKE A STAND AGAINST HATE – SUPPORT THE FLORIDA HATE CRIME LAW
By: Matthew W. Dietz On January 22nd, I was honored to represent Disability Independence Group and speak on behalf of The Florida Hate Crime Coalition (FHCC). They applauded the recent filing of legislation that would strengthen Florida’s hate crime law. This bill, Florida HB 211 and SB 588, ensures that all persons are protected… Read More »
Medical Marijuana – Effects on Your Home and Job
By: Matthew Dietz On November 8th, over 71% of Florida voters approved Amendment 2, which explicitly allowed medical marijuana to be provided as a treatment for patients with the following disabilities: “cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS),… Read More »
Fear should not be a barrier to full community integration
By: Matthew Dietz On August 18, 2015, Carl Starke, an Autistic man, was shot by three teenagers who were casing the Wal-Mart parking lot for cars to steal; they spotted Carl in the parking lot, and followed him home. They somehow noticed that he had a disability – he was marked as a “soft… Read More »
Florida State and Local Remedies for Civil Rights Violations in Public Accommodations
By: Matthew Dietz, Esq. No State shall … deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Equal protection is a right that is enshrined in both the Florida and the United States Constitutions. However, what most advocates and lawyers do not realize is that there are many local and… Read More »
Litigation – Vindicating a right to an administrative option – McGuire v. Peabody Hotel
Florida now recognizes that when a person is not treated equal because of his or her disability,– this is discrimination, and is actionable under the Florida Civil Rights Act. In 1968, at the age of seven years old, Kevin McGuire, was hit by a drunk driver and was paralyzed from the neck down. By 1970,… Read More »