FLORIDA (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2025) — Federal civil rights prosecutors are looking into whether three major Florida theme parks are discriminating against visitors with disabilities. The Justice Department announced Tuesday that it has opened an investigation into United Parks & Resorts Inc., the parent company behind SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, and Aquatica Orlando, after receiving complaints about mobility-aid restrictions.
The inquiry is being handled jointly by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. Officials say the review centers on whether the company is violating Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits disability-based discrimination by public accommodations such as theme parks.
According to the DOJ, several visitors with disabilities reported that the parks ban the use of certain rollator walkers, specifically rollators equipped with seats. They allege they cannot access the parks without these devices and say the only alternatives offered involve mobility aids that don’t work for their disabilities and come with additional charges.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said the ADA “protects every American from disability-based discrimination in places of public accommodation, including theme parks,” adding that the department is committed to ensuring “no guest is denied access or charged more because of a disability.”
U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe said Florida’s theme parks draw millions of visitors from around the world each year and emphasized that “no one should ever be denied equal access to public accommodations based on disability.”
A formal notice of investigation, sent Tuesday to United Parks & Resorts CEO Marc Swanson, outlines the areas under review . The letter says the department opened the case after receiving complaints from individuals who said they were unable to enter SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, or Aquatica because of restrictions on rollator walkers with seats.
Title III regulations require public accommodations to permit wheelchairs and manually powered mobility aids in all pedestrian areas. The DOJ letter cites 28 C.F.R. § 36.311(a), which states that businesses must allow walkers, crutches, canes, braces, and similar devices used by individuals with mobility disabilities. Complaints also allege that the parks charge guests with disabilities to rent substitute mobility devices, raising potential concerns under 28 C.F.R. § 36.301(c), which restricts surcharges tied to disability.
On page two of the letter, DOJ attorneys write that the department “has not reached any conclusions” about whether the company violated the ADA but has “authorized an investigation to determine whether UPR is engaged in discrimination” as alleged . Prosecutors are requesting a meeting within one week with park representatives who can explain the policy and provide additional records.
The notice is signed by Dhillon and Kehoe, with the request for coordination directed to Trial Attorney David Gardner of the Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Karahalios in Tampa.
The department is also encouraging other visitors who believe they experienced disability discrimination at United Parks & Resorts properties—including SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, and Aquatica Orlando—to file a complaint. Reports can be submitted online at civilrights.justice.gov, or by calling the DOJ’s ADA Information Line at 1-800-514-0301 (or 1-833-610-1264 TTY).
More information about Title III and disability rights is available at ADA.gov and Justice.gov/crt. To see the official letter from the DOJ, click here.
0 Comments