A national disability rights group has filed a new federal complaint challenging Florida’s “pregnancy parking” law, escalating a legal fight over who can use accessible parking spaces in the state.
The amended lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of Florida, was brought by United Spinal Association along with plaintiffs including Olivia Keller, the Florida woman who previously spoke with CBS12 about the issue. The complaint argues Florida’s law violates the Americans with Disabilities Act by allowing pregnant women to park in disability spaces without requiring proof of a mobility disability.
Florida’s law, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in June 2025 and effective last July 1, created a temporary red placard for expectant mothers that is valid for up to one year. The law was promoted as a way to help pregnant and postpartum women avoid long, hot walks across parking lots.
But Keller told CBS12 last year that accessible spaces are essential for disabled drivers who rely on features like van-accessible aisles and ramps to get in and out of their vehicles. Critics say the state did not create new parking inventory, but instead opened existing disability spaces to a broader group of drivers.
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The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) says the new complaint adds plaintiffs after Keller’s earlier case was dismissed for lack of a sufficiently concrete injury. The organization says the updated filing is meant to show the law is already harming Floridians with disabilities and businesses that serve them.
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The plaintiffs are asking a federal judge to block the law and rescind the permits already issued, or require Florida to create separate parking spaces for expectant mothers instead of allowing use of disability spaces.