Do you live in The Sunshine State, or are you considering moving there with your assistance animal? If so, then you need to know about Florida’s emotional support animal laws and requirements.
Qualify for an Emotional Support Animal Letter in Florida
The requirements you need to meet in Florida to qualify for an emotional support animal letter are similar to other states. Importantly, you will need to get a letter from a Florida licensed mental health professional in order to qualify.
These are the basic Florida emotional support animal letter requirements for ESA owners:
- A licensed mental health professional needs to determine that you have an emotional disability.
- Your mental disability is in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
- The identified condition substantially limits your ability to participate in at least one major life activity.
- The professional has to determine that an emotional support animal would help treat the condition or ease your symptoms.
- You need to get an emotional support animal letter which can be thought of as a prescription for an ESA.
- The letter must come from a licensed mental health professional.
- Your letter must be on your therapist’s official letterhead.
- The letter must include your therapist’s license details, issue date, and state.
Florida ESA Laws
Once you have fulfilled ESA requirements and you have received your letter, you have certain rights. However, there are two major limitations:
- An ESA doesn’t have the same public access privileges as service animals.
- If your animal is not a domestic animal, if it misbehaves or is a danger to anyone, you can lose your privileges.
So where are you covered?
In Florida, individuals with mental or emotional health disabilities have the right to live with their ESAs. If you’ve fulfilled the Florida emotional support letter requirements and you can provide proof to landlords, they can’t deny accommodation unless they have a valid exemption, such as if your ESA poses a danger to others. Denying accommodation of your ESA could get them in trouble under the federal Fair Housing Act and state laws.
Landlords can verify your ESA by asking you to produce a valid ESA letter. If you are able to do so, they cannot deny access, charge a pet deposit or a fee.
Emotional Support Animals in Florida Condos
With the growth in using animals as comfort animals, many Florida Condo Associations have been making it difficult for ESA owners to live with their emotional support animals. Some Florida Condo Associations have attempted to deny legitimate emotional support dogs by claiming that ESAs do not have rights or call them “fake service dogs.”
Emotional support animals have rights to live with their owners in Florida Condos that normally do not accept pets. The Fair Housing Act gives you the right to live with your ESA, regardless of your condo association’s rules. ESA laws always trump condo association laws.
Do You Qualify for an Emotional Support Animal in Florida?
Of course, the final answer to this question needs to come from a licensed mental health professional. However, you can see right now whether you meet the basic criteria for an ESA.
Click here to get started on qualifying for your ESA letter.
You might qualify for an ESA in Florida if you have one or more issues listed below:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- PTSD
- Sleep issues
- Learning difficulties
- Phobias
- Panic disorders
- Personality disorders
Please note that this is not an extensive list; This is just an overview of the major conditions present in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. If you have one of these common issues and believe that an animal can give you comfort and help ease your symptoms, you might meet Florida emotional support animal letter requirements.
Conclusion
Many people have some stress in their life. When this stress causes such emotional imbalance that you have difficulty performing major life activities, you can be considered emotionally disabled. Once a licensed mental health professional completes an evaluation and writes an ESA letter for you, you qualify for an emotional support animal.
Florida homeowners associations, landlords, and other housing providers will have to treat you with respect and dignity and make reasonable accommodations. Since some people try to take advantage of these rights and they have made the process slightly more difficult for people who actually need the company of ESAs.
However, if you provide a valid emotional support animal letter, you are generally good to go. If anyone challenges your rights even after validating your ESA letter, you can remind them that state law in Florida and federal housing laws protect your right to own an emotional support animal.
Get your Florida ESA letter online
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This is just wrong information!! I’ve read the entire statute, and nowhere does it say the disability can only be a mental health issue. That would violate the law since it would identify the type of health issue one has. Furthermore, the law does not limit health care providers to in-state physicians, and the health care provider does not have to specialize in mental health. See Florida statute 760.27.
Please see this article for more recent information on Florida ESA rules: https://esadoctors.com/florida-passes-new-2020-law-for-emotional-support-animals/
What does the letter from my physician need to say specifically for my ESA? My landlord is being very difficult.
An ESA letter should recommend an emotional support animal to assist with a mental health disability.
I live in Florida and i saw a mental health professional who seems to think i am struggling heavily enough where i would benefit from an ESA, but he also told me i HAD to get my dog registered and/or certified to qualify getting an ESA letter? When i asked him to explain further, he stated that my dog would need 6-10 weeks of training to make sure he is capable of tasks (and he said things like diabetes or seizure even though i told him that was a SERVICE dog and i wanted a SUPPORT dog?? Because im pretty sure a real service dog would need much more extensive training) and so he refuses to give me a letter unless i get him registered and certified? Ive never heard of anything like this
This person you saw is confused about the difference between an ESA and a service dog. You do not need a letter for a service dog and an ESA does not require any specific training. Neither needs any type of registration or certification. If you need a licensed healthcare professional that understands ESA letters, we can help connect you to one here: https://esadoctors.com/esa-questionnaire/
I got a letter from my license therapist recommending accommodations for my emotional support animal. My landlord is saying that I need to make sure he is registered as an emotional support companion. No one can explain to me how to get this done and from the information I am finding online ESAs are not the same as service animals. Service animals need registration where is an ESA does not. Can someone help me please? I have been trying to find out how to get this resolved for months.
Neither service animals nor ESAs need to be registered. Again, you do NOT need to register an ESA or service animal. if you have a valid letter from a licensed healthcare professional that is sufficient documentation for an ESA letter.
Does Florida law require the diagnosis and what the ESA does to assist in symptoms My Physician wrote a letter prescribing the dog and the management company says the board needs to know the diagnosis and the details. Isn’t that a privacy thing? I dont want the “board” sitting around the pool discussing my health issues
Landlords are not entitled to know the diagnosis or other specific details about the tenant’s health condition.
I currently have a therapist, and we agreed I needed an emotional support dog so I went ahead and got my dog, but I need paperwork for my apartments so I don’t get charged for having her, should I ask my therapist for the paperwork? I also need to get her extra paperwork or whatever items needed to be able to take her places with me, such as stores, restaurants, drs offices, and any other places that may have restrictions on a animals unless certified as an assistant animal or service animal. What do I do and how do I start? Is there somewhere I can have my therapist send in my recommendations for my dog?
To qualify for an emotional support animal you need a letter from a licensed healthcare professional. ESAs do NOT have the right to go into stores, restaurants or other public places. They only have rights for housing and air travel. You may find this link helpful: https://esadoctors.com/how-it-works/
Hi I am currently attending a Florida university and also reside here as of this year. I have been having more anxiety and depression than usual since I moved away from family and my dog passed away in the beginning of the year. I have not been able to work my way up to getting psychological help yet. Do I first have to come out my shell in order to get the process going to register my dog as an ESA? Or would I only have to explain my situation to an ESA doctor? I apologize if this was stated already.
We recommend you discuss your situation with a licensed professional that is familiar with ESAs and mental health.