Expectant Moms Can Get Disabled Parking Permits Under New Florida Law

Between fatigue, swollen ankles and shooting back pain, getting out of the house, let alone to the grocery store in the summer heat, can feel like a monumental task for expectant moms. Few things are more frustrating than arriving at your destination mid-symptom flare, only to find no available parking or only spots far across a blazing asphalt lot. At that point, the choice between making the trek or heading home is all too real.

To make parking lots a little less perilous for pregnant women, Florida is making a change. As of July 1, women at any stage of pregnancy can apply for a temporary disabled parking placard through the DMV by filling out a simple form and getting it signed by a doctor. The placard costs $15 and is valid up to a year after being issued.

Fiona McFarland the state representative the sponsored the legislation modeled the new law after a similar initiative in Illinois, which allows expectant mothers in their third trimester to apply for a temporary placard. However, she chose to extend Florida’s version to cover up to a year, recognizing that—as any mom can tell you—the first and fourth trimesters can be just as exhausting as the third.

“Having been pregnant myself in the Florida heat, it is hard to struggle across a big parking lot when you are 9 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.

The law has received mixed reactions from Florida residents online. Some applaud the move as a step toward acknowledging the physical challenges of pregnancy, while others worry it may reduce access to parking for individuals with disabilities.

“It’s a good idea for bad weather. I was pregnant and going to college. We had a really bad winter that year. Parking was far from the campus. I asked if I could get a letter to park closer and was denied. And yes, I did slip on the ice and fell,” wrote one mom. “You have no idea how many times I’ve parked and gone in the store and when I came out someone parked so close to me I couldn’t fit her car seat back in,” another parent brought up. Others suggested designated parking for expectant mothers as a compromise that would avoid impacting disabled parking availability.

Regardless of your stance, Florida and Illinois are paving the way for policies that better support the needs of moms-to-be and setting a sorely needed precedent for prioritizing pregnancy in public spaces.