KAREN WATCH: Legitimate Claim or plaintiff seeking a handout?

LEE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) – A Florida woman with a disability is challenging a new state law that allows pregnant women to apply for and use accessible parking spaces, arguing it undermines protections for people with disabilities.

The law grew out of a March 2025 Florida House committee meeting, where lawmakers discussed creating temporary accessible parking permits for expectant mothers. “I just feel very strongly that pregnancy is not a disability. I just want to be able to park upfront,” Republican state Rep. Fiona McFarland joked during the committee hearing.

Supporters say the policy shows compassion toward pregnant women, while opponents warn it puts disabled drivers at risk by further crowding already limited accessible spaces. “They’re not perks. They’re not our reward for having a disability,” Olivia Keller said. “These are spaces that we need in order to function in our day to day lives.”

Keller, who lives in Leon County, was born without arms and uses a power wheelchair. She said the new law threatens her independence and led her to file suit against the state. “I can’t do my job. I can’t go to the grocery store, and for me needing the access aisle, I literally can’t get out of my car if I can’t find a place to park,” Keller said.

Her legal argument centers on the Americans with Disabilities Act. Keller contends that pregnancy does not meet the ADA’s definition of a disability and that Florida cannot unilaterally broaden that standard. “It’s not for our convenience. There is no accommodation that is going to make my life easy. This makes it possible,” Keller said.

Some locals say they sympathize with both pregnant women and people with disabilities but believe the current number of accessible spaces is already inadequate. “We need more for anybody. Disability, even pregnant, anybody. It’s too much,” Michelle Wood said. “It’s too hard to carry everything.”

Advocates stress that their opposition is not directed at pregnant women themselves, but at what they see as a flawed approach that should be replaced with separate accommodations and a broader push for accessibility. “There is not enough parking for handicap, especially in this Florida area where there is a lot of elderly people,” Paula Hyre, a resident in the area, added.

Under the law, temporary permits for pregnant women cost $15 and can be issued for up to one year. The state has asked the court to throw out Keller’s lawsuit, but that motion was recently denied, allowing the case to move forward.