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Animals on Campus

Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)

Stetson Law is committed to providing a healthy, inclusive, and safe environment that supports the growth and development of all students. We recognize that some residential and other campus environments may not be completely accessible to all students. Therefore, students may request an ESA accommodation in order to have equal access to the residential and on-campus experience.

Checklist for Request an ESA Accommodation

  1. If you are seeking accommodation to register your animal as an ESA, please read the College of Law's policy, Guidelines for Animals on Campus - Gulfport. When you submit your request to register your ESA through our Accommodate software, you will be asked to certify that you have read and understood this policy.
  2. Next, please follow the Checklist for First-Time Accommodation Requests through the Accommodate Portal.
  3. To determine if your animal is eligible for this registration request, the ESA Accommodation Request Form must be completed by a Licensed Health Care Provider (e.g. physician, psychologist, licensed mental health counselor, nurse practitioner) who has training and experience in the field of the disability. The Provider should not be related to the individual and should have a relationship with the individual which ensures an understanding of their disability. Please send the ESA Accommodation Request Form to your Licensed Health Care Provider for completion.
  4. Once completed by your Provider, you must submit this form for the ADA Coordinator's determination of ESA eligibility, but there is no guarantee that the request will be granted.
  5. If you need assistance making this request, please contact the ADA Coordinator at [email protected].

Service Animals

A service animal is a dog (or qualifying miniature horse, see 28 C.F.R. § 35.136) that has been trained to perform work or tasks for a person with a disability. "Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, do not service animals for the purposes of this definition." See 28 C.F.R. §§35.104 & 36.104.The task(s) performed by the service animal must be directly related to the person's disability. A service animal must be under the control of its handler and housebroken. A dog whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support does not qualify as a service animal.

The difference between Florida law and Federal law pertains to Service animals in training. Florida Statute § 413.08(8) specifically states: “Any trainer of a service animal, while engaged in the training of such an animal, has the same rights and privileges with respect to access to public facilities and the same liability for damage as is provided for those persons described in subsection (3) accompanied by service animals.”

While an individual with a service animal is not required to formally request or be approved to bring their service dog to campus facilities, we highly encourage students to disclose their use of a service animal to the ADA Coordinator, so that support may be offered, if necessary. To disclose your service animal to the ADA Coordinator, please follow the Checklist for First-Time Accommodation Requests through the Accommodate Portal.

If you have questions about Animals on Campus, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.