Commercial Real Estate Buyers & ADA
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is an instrument that gives businesses and property owners the ability to build positive relationships with a large segment of the population via accessibility. The U.S. Department of Labor reports that people with disabilities have $175 billion annually in discretionary income. It is clearly in the best interest of businesses to make their facilities and services accessible. As your ADA Consultant we can guide you to use this instrument to its potential. Whether you need an accessibility survey performed, an implementation plan developed, employee/ staff training, or other services tailored to your specific needs, we will provide you with professional and knowledgeable service in the greater Jacksonville and Orlando areas.
To begin, let’s address the main question owners ask – in what area(s) do I need to be compliant? You may have tried to navigate the maze of acronyms (ADA, ADAAG, ABA) that revolve around accessibility and ended up more confused than when you started.
ADA 2010 Standards
The Department of Justice published revised regulations for Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 “ADA” in the Federal Register on September 15, 2010. These regulations adopted revised, enforceable accessibility standards called the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design “2010 Standards” or “Standards.” The 2010 Standards set minimum requirements – both scoping and technical — for newly designed and constructed or altered State and local government facilities, public accommodations, and commercial facilities to be readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.
Service animals are animals that are individually trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities. Typically, restaurants, stores, and other businesses with a "no pets" policy must make an exception to the policy when a customer has a service animal.
Service animals perform tasks for people with disabilities such as guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling wheelchairs, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, or performing other special tasks. Service animals are working animals, not pets.
Florida enacted an accessibility law effective July 1, 2017. This new law authorizes owners of a place of public accommodation to file a certificate of conformity or a remediation plan with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). The priority barrier removal plan included in our Tier III Full Accessibility Survey includes a summary page with non-compliant elements prioritized to fit both the DOJ priority barrier removal plan and the state remediation plan.
This survey involves a full in-depth survey to report compliance with ADA Title III and ADAAG. This survey addresses each accessible element and space within and/or without the facility and entails comprehensive measurements and counts. Captioned photographs are provided in the narrative report. Property owners, lenders, investors, and managers request Tier III as they are responsible for alterations needed to become compliant and have the most exposure to liability.
Business owners, property owners, and property managers are encouraged to recognize the importance of the Accessibility Survey report findings and to take a proactive approach toward compliance. The report is broken into the components specified as client priority in the proposal. Each component will contain inspected elements and determine if each element is compliant. Any non-compliant element will also be separated into a narrative summary with a detailed explanation and a captioned photograph. Video may also be included if warranted. A summary page is included to prioritize elements and reference any local, state, or federal requirements. Click Here to See Sample Report.
Contact Property360
It takes some research to find the right consultant for you and your business needs. Contact us today and allow us to sort through the facts, come up with a plan, and offer creative, hopefully economical, ways to work toward compliance. There are even high-dollar incentives with becoming ADA compliant to help defray costs. Coming into compliance should be part of an action plan to grow your business by reaching more customers, not a stressful and expensive scenario that makes you want out of your business. Call us today at (904) 606-1570 to request an inspection. We serve Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Fleming Island, Green Cove Springs, Keystone Heights, St. Augustine, Lake Butler, Lake City, Macclenny, Orlando, and the surrounding areas of Florida.