New Florida law makes parking easier for pregnant moms

A new Florida law effective July 1 gives pregnant women a little relief by allowing them to utilize a temporary handicap parking permit.

Key Takeaways:

• Effective July 1, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles can issue temporary disabled parking placards to pregnant women.

• Pregnant women wishing to receive the parking placard need to pay a $15 fee and submit a form with a doctor’s note verifying pregnancy.

• The placard allows pregnant moms to park in handicap spots.

The Details:

Under the legislation, women with a doctor’s note verifying their pregnancy can now apply for a temporary handicap parking placard, good for one year. The placard, which costs $15, allows pregnant women and new moms the opportunity to park in any handicap spot. Expectant mothers who are interested in receiving a placard can visit their local tax collector’s office or license plate agency.

The new law is in effect thanks to legislation sponsored by State Rep. Fiona McFarland, a mother of three.

“Having been pregnant myself in the Florida heat, it is hard to struggle across a big parking lot when you are nine months pregnant, especially if you have other kids, and you are dragging gear to park all the way in the back of the parking lot and walk past those empty handicap spots,” McFarland told FOX 13 Tampa Bay.

What We’re Hearing:

Katie Becker, the executive director of Parenting Matters, a local nonprofit organization, praised the new legislation, which she says offers a helping hand to pregnant moms.

“We really understand that parenting is hard. At Parenting Matters, we say it’s the hardest job ever, but with us, you don’t have to do it alone,” Becker said. “And this is a great example of our representatives thinking about the hard things that go on in everyday lives and how we can support one another.”

Dr. Washington Hill, a physician who formerly led Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s high-risk pregnancy team, also supports the new law.

“With the Florida weather and the combination of being 6-7 months pregnant or early pregnant with nausea and vomiting, I think this is important,” he told Fox 13 Tampa Bay. “It is a shout-out to the pregnant woman that we recognize you are pregnant. We understand that while pregnant you have some special issues the rest of us do not have and, in this way, we appreciate that and will make it easier for you.”

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