Disabled Parking Permit

[The Sivester's]

Hi All

I have read with interest the rules regarding the issue of local permits in Florida.

Does anyone know if you can email scans of the documents along with the card details instead of posting them?

[loadsapixiedust]

Here's a reply I received to that question a few weeks ago

Patsy Heffner Tax Collector
Attn: Evonne Bronson
PO Box 422105
Kissimmee, FL 34742-2105

If you prefer you may e-mail me with the documents as scanned attachments.
Otherwise, you may fax the information to Evonne Bronson at 407-742-4010.
She will contact you and payment will be processed over the telephone with your credit card. There will be a convenience fee of $2.00 when processing payment by credit card. Please allow sufficient mailing time so that you will receive the placard before your departure.

Remember email is not a secure means of transmitting credit card details, hence the suggestion to call you for payment details.

[matthews_mum]

Again...thank you. And again, pardon my ignorance, I have another query :confused2

Is there a form you download and fill in to fax or do you just write a covering letter and fax it along with the following..

1) Copy of your UK disabled badge (both sides)
2) Copy of your photo ID from your passport

to Evonne Bronson at 407-742-4010 and ask her to contact you to arrange credit card payment? Is that the complete number or do you have to add anything at the beginning?

Of course it all depends on whether the Council agree to renew my Blue Badge in April :erm:

Thanks again :grin:

[loadsapixiedust]

To receive the disabled permit by mail before your trip, please provide the following:
A copy of your valid parking placard (front and back)
A copy of your valid passport including the picture and biography page (not the visa)
Your home address
The temporary address you will use while staying in Florida
The date of your arrival and departure
$15.00 in US funds

You'll need to dial the international code for the US which is 001 before the number above. You may also want to use a low cost access number like telediscount 0844 861 78 78 to keep call costs down.

[The Sivester's]

Thanks for the info. Will fax it in the morning.

[LlMEY]

Hi!

We will go and get the badge in person when we get to Florida... could anyone clear this up for me...

I am sure I read you need passport - blue badge.... thats no problem... but do you also need address ID? If so what is acceptable... its my daughter who is disabled so would say a letter from the college shge goes to do? All the utility bills etc are in our names - looking at this thread, seems like we just need our UK permit and her passport... advice appreciated, thanks :).

Regards Dave

[loadsapixiedust]

You will need something with address details, I had a wee panic when we were asked for this as UK passports don't carry an address and I wasn't sure what else I could produce, however a UK drivers licence does and mine was perfectly acceptable as DS has the same address as me.

[LlMEY]

OK... so the badge is in your DS's name but it was ok to use your driving license? If I have that right then we have it covered, ours is in my DD name so will use mine or my wifes driving license job done. Thanks :).

Regards Dave

[dragonforce]

Do you pay for parking if you have a disabled parking permit ?

[loadsapixiedust]

OK... so the badge is in your DS's name but it was ok to use your driving license? If I have that right then we have it covered, ours is in my DD name so will use mine or my wifes driving license job done. Thanks :).

Regards Dave

Yes that's right, badge was in DS's name, my drivers licence and his passport were used as ID.

Do you pay for parking if you have a disabled parking permit ?

I'm afraid you do still pay :(

[LlMEY]

Thanks Loadsapixiedust... got it now :) Much appreciated.

Regards Dave

[spider]

Does anyone have the email address so that I can send a scanned copy of Ben's blue badge and then phone with my card details???

Thanks!!! ;)

[dididave]

So are the disabled spaces the same as they are here i.e closer to the amenities etc and also are there plenty of them in places like Disney and Walmart?

[Saratoska]

So are the disabled spaces the same as they are here i.e closer to the amenities etc and also are there plenty of them in places like Disney and Walmart?

same as here the only difference is they don't get abused like they do here :angry: so thre is always spaces. there is a huge fine over there if you park in a disabled bay and when you shouldnt

[jcjcjc]

I am abit lost on this issue about having to spend money on a permit ?

We have used a UK Blue Badge each time over the last 2 years and had No problems, However i heard on here that you need a permit, So when i was in Orlando a few weeks ago I asked Disney,Universal,Seaworld,Busch Gardens when parking if the UK blue badge was ok, I got the same reply Yes its OK,

We also parked at MGM in front of a police officer oneday sat in his car he saw us put the badge in the window, get out of the car, he waved at dd and he didnt say you cant use that uk badge ?

We have also parked at walmart,golden coral,walgreens,premium outlets No problems and they are red hot about missuse of disabled bays unlike here sadly,so i am baffled about why pay for this permit.

[dididave]

same as here the only difference is they don't get abused like the do here :angry: so thre is always spaces. there is a huge fine over there if you park in a disabled bay and you shouldnt

Yea! Thats what I like to here

[spider]

I am abit lost on this issue about having to spend money on a permit ?

We have used a UK Blue Badge each time over the last 2 years and had No problems, However i heard on here that you need a permit, So when i was in Orlando a few weeks ago I asked Disney,Universal,Seaworld,Busch Gardens when parking if the UK blue badge was ok, I got the same reply Yes its OK,

We also parked at MGM in front of a police officer oneday sat in his car he saw us put the badge in the window, get out of the car, he waved at dd and he didnt say you cant use that uk badge ?

We have also parked at walmart,golden coral,walgreens,premium outlets No problems and they are red hot about missuse of disabled bays unlike here sadly,so i am baffled about why pay for this permit.

On our 3 previous trips we've always used the Blue Badge and I'm sure that it will be fine this year too, especially in the theme parks, but TBH, for the sake of $15 (about £8) I'd rather have the peace of mind when parking at outside carparks, like at malls, restaurants, etc and not have to worry about getting a ticket.

And, there is also a good reason for me to get the Florida ticket, is that our Blue Badges are plastic laminate - they practically cook in the car out there!!!!!! Infact, our last badge was so warped when we got back it looked terrible!!! And the holder came unstuck and had fallen off the interior mirror. The US ones are much more practical by the look of things!

[jcjcjc]

On our 3 previous trips we've always used the Blue Badge and I'm sure that it will be fine this year too, especially in the theme parks, but TBH, for the sake of $15 (about £8) I'd rather have the peace of mind when parking at outside carparks, like at malls, restaurants, etc and not have to worry about getting a ticket.

And, there is also a good reason for me to get the Florida ticket, is that our Blue Badges are plastic laminate - they practically cook in the car out there!!!!!! Infact, our last badge was so warped when we got back it looked terrible!!! And the holder came unstuck and had fallen off the interior mirror. The US ones are much more practical by the look of things!

I know what you mean about them cooking :d: Still Not sure about the parking permit, why buy one if its not needed ? alot of confusion

[jax100]

Just to add to the permit discussion, I know that there seems to be a few who have said that it is not necessary however from personal experience we were almost booked for parking in a disabled parking bay outside a shop despite having our blue badge there. The police officer was very nice however did recommend we contact the necessary authorities to purchase a permit.

We have also just applied via the post and our permit arrived on Monday 14 days after initially sending application away.

[jcjcjc]

its so confusing as all the parks say that the uk blue badge is ok by them as does walmart,ect ?

where were you parked ?

[loadsapixiedust]

To add an update, we're just back last week. We did get a new permit before travelling and I can tell you I'm glad we did as it was checked on several occasions that we saw (and probably many more when we were away from the vehicle) including in the car park at Crossroads and at WDW and Seaworld. Compare this to only one similar experience in all our other visits and I think the authorities are becoming more aware of the change in legislation and are enforcing it.

One employee may tell you that it's fine to park there without a permit but they are not going to be the person dishing out a ticket, nor are they going to be there to defend you. I wouldn't risk going without one now especially as the process of applying is quite straightforward.

[jcjcjc]

Looks like we will have to get a permit, even though under protest as its another way of making money out of tourists.

[DigitalLove]

We got a permit prior to travelling... The process was simple enough. Someone however (namely me!!) left it at home (along with The Universal tickets but thats another story!)

We had no problems parking in the disabled bays at the parks or at the hotel with our UK blue badge and were told several times by CM's that we wouldn't be fined because of it (I dunno?? Perhaps because its on private property??) Wouldn't of even dreamed trying it on any of the public roads though as we saw quite a few being checked on our travels out and about

[ERICSMUM]

Looks like we will have to get a permit, even though under protest as its another way of making money out of tourists.

Officially our blue disabled permits are OK for parking in any country in the EU zone because each country has signed up for the same scheme and it is reciprocal (e.g. a person with a french badge can park in the UK).

However there is no agreement with the US that our permits can be used there officially. Some places will accept them but are not obliged to do so. You might be lucky (and it seems lots of people on here are), but we always erred on the side of caution and abided by US rules.

Linda

[jcjcjc]

Officially our blue disabled permits are OK for parking in any country in the EU zone because each country has signed up for the same scheme and it is reciprocal (e.g. a person with a french badge can park in the UK).

However there is no agreement with the US that our permits can be used there officially. Some places will accept them but are not obliged to do so. You might be lucky (and it seems lots of people on here are), but we always erred on the side of caution and abided by US rules.

Linda

as said above about parking on private property, isnt disney private property ?

[Quertychap]

Disney may be private property, but the parking lots are patrolled by the local police.

[jcjcjc]

Below is part of an email direct from Disney, it seems that is it fine to use the UK Blue badge at Disney parks according to Disney but like someone has already said maybe because it is private land? Also Westgates have said that it is also fine to park in the Disabled bays at the hotels, it has the $250 fine board in disabled bays but they accept a in date uk blue badge. It does seem confusing doesnt it.

I spoke with a member of our special request team, as long as the
Disabled badge is not expired and you have the person with you and the
appropriate paperwork to go with the badge, you should not have any
trouble.

Now, if you come with an expired tag, the badge belongs to someone who
is not traveling or the paper work is not with you, they may ask you to
park in a regular parking spot. Here in the United States, in order to
get the disabled hang tag, your doctor would have to fill the paperwork
out, before you get the hang tag.

I can not speak about other theme parks or anything off Walt Disney
World property.

[katie]

Below is part of an email direct from Disney, it seems that is it fine to use the UK Blue badge at Disney parks according to Disney but like someone has already said maybe because it is private land? Also Westgates have said that it is also fine to park in the Disabled bays at the hotels, it has the $250 fine board in disabled bays but they accept a in date uk blue badge. It does seem confusing doesnt it.

I spoke with a member of our special request team, as long as the
Disabled badge is not expired and you have the person with you and the
appropriate paperwork to go with the badge, you should not have any
trouble.

Now, if you come with an expired tag, the badge belongs to someone who
is not traveling or the paper work is not with you, they may ask you to
park in a regular parking spot. Here in the United States, in order to
get the disabled hang tag, your doctor would have to fill the paperwork
out, before you get the hang tag.

I can not speak about other theme parks or anything off Walt Disney
World property.

Just out of curiosity - does anyone from the UK have 'the appropriate paperwork to go with the badge' from their GP?? It seems from the above statement that the paperwork is a requirement as well - not just the badge. All my Dad has is a badge and a clock!! For him, it would be cheaper to pay for the US permit than to pay £25 for a letter.

Katie :)

[jcjcjc]

Someone else has said on another forum i read that you also need a doctors letter now stating your condition, it really is confussing as I dont think they have sorted it properly.

What money have they spent over here to tell tourists of the change ?
Had i not come on here i would not of known and still parked where i have always done?

[katie]

Someone else has said on another forum i read that you also need a doctors letter now stating your condition, it really is confussing as I dont think they have sorted it properly.

What money have they spent over here to tell tourists of the change ?
Had i not come on here i would not of known and still parked where i have always done?

I'm afraid that the fact is that you do know now and you cannot plead ignorance of the fact if you are challenged about the rule change. Don't forget that the sheriff's office has free access to all these boards and can easily check that it is generally known about the rule change.
If you look at the statement which you quoted in your own post - it is Disney which is quoting that you need 'the appropriate paperwork to go with the badge'. I assumed that the statement you quoted was from the Walt Disney World special request team.
I would have thought that it would seem obvious by now that the permit is needed. Every person is responsible for their own actions when they are made aware of a new requirement/law no matter how they find about it. I am happy that I found out about it and would rather pay the $15 rather than have to say "Well I heard about it but I didn't act on it because I wasn't sure about it".
I don't think that the Tax guy will go to the bother of finding out every disabled person who is visiting Florida and sending them a nice informative letter letting them know of the rule change. People like Simon and Susan Veness have been on each of the Disney forums and kindly informed us of the change in the rule. I don't think there is anything to be confused about.
Even though it probably is a revenue making exercise, they are still only charging $15 for your whole stay compared with $10-11 per day by the parks. As other people have replied in previous posts, the Park staff just want to get you parked, and will say anything just to keep the cars moving. They will not pay your fine if the Sheriff decides to enforce the rule and they will not be in sight if you look for them for confirmation that THEY said it was OK to park without a legal permit.

Katie :)

[Quertychap]

You can email your documents to the above email address below - Evonne will probably ring you back with the hour to get payment details. She will email youi a little later in the day to say that the permit has been mailed to you, and you should get it in seven days.

ebronson@osceola.org

[jcjcjc]

I understand what you are saying,So why does disney Not know about it and says there is no problem parking here as long as you have a valid UK blue badge, also universal say the same, at my hotel they have the same standard plaque that says you will be fined without a disabled badge $200 but again they have said that a valid UK badge is ok, all have said it in writing, So why do they not know about this law, thats what point i am trying to say ? is it because its private land ? I know i parked in front of a policeman and he saw us put a UK blue badge up, he smiled and waved at us but didnt say you cant use that here. So again what i am saying is that many people dont seem to know about the new law permit.








I'm afraid that the fact is that you do know now and you cannot plead ignorance of the fact if you are challenged about the rule change. Don't forget that the sheriff's office has free access to all these boards and can easily check that it is generally known about the rule change.
If you look at the statement which you quoted in your own post - it is Disney which is quoting that you need 'the appropriate paperwork to go with the badge'. I assumed that the statement you quoted was from the Walt Disney World special request team.
I would have thought that it would seem obvious by now that the permit is needed. Every person is responsible for their own actions when they are made aware of a new requirement/law no matter how they find about it. I am happy that I found out about it and would rather pay the $15 rather than have to say "Well I heard about it but I didn't act on it because I wasn't sure about it".
I don't think that the Tax guy will go to the bother of finding out every disabled person who is visiting Florida and sending them a nice informative letter letting them know of the rule change. People like Simon and Susan Veness have been on each of the Disney forums and kindly informed us of the change in the rule. I don't think there is anything to be confused about.
Even though it probably is a revenue making exercise, they are still only charging $15 for your whole stay compared with $10-11 per day by the parks. As other people have replied in previous posts, the Park staff just want to get you parked, and will say anything just to keep the cars moving. They will not pay your fine if the Sheriff decides to enforce the rule and they will not be in sight if you look for them for confirmation that THEY said it was OK to park without a legal permit.

Katie :)

[keith&carol]

Do you have personal knowledge of all the new laws that keep coming in here? I know I don't.
The change in the US is with the Dept of Transport rules which would not be common knowledge to most people I would imagine.
I wasn't happy about this new rule when we first heard about it but applying for a Temp Parking Tag is not difficult and only costs $15. When you renew it (as we have several times now) there is no further charge.
People have been fined for not having the appropriate US badge and what folks like Disney parking attendants say is not worth a hill of beans if you come up against a police or security officer who is just doing his job. I can't see why it would be worth the risk for the sake of $15.
Carol

[katie]

People have been fined for not having the appropriate US badge and what folks like Disney parking attendants say is not worth a hill of beans if you come up against a police or security officer who is just doing his job. I can't see why it would be worth the risk for the sake of $15.
Carol

Thank You Carol - you say it much better than I tried to. :D :D

Katie :)

[jcjcjc]

Do you have personal knowledge of all the new laws that keep coming in here? I know I don't.
The change in the US is with the Dept of Transport rules which would not be common knowledge to most people I would imagine.
I wasn't happy about this new rule when we first heard about it but applying for a Temp Parking Tag is not difficult and only costs $15. When you renew it (as we have several times now) there is no further charge.
People have been fined for not having the appropriate US badge and what folks like Disney parking attendants say is not worth a hill of beans if you come up against a police or security officer who is just doing his job. I can't see why it would be worth the risk for the sake of $15.
Carol

Its a tough call for people who dont come on here and have always used the blue badge no problems.

its not just $15 but the confusion, Disney have told me in writing that it is ok to use the uk blue badge in there car park with no problems as have universal and again so has the place i stay, so my point was do i really need a permit if this is the only places i use a disabled bay ?
are these places private property and thats why they have said its ok ? I dont know

I will probally get a permit but its the fact of do i really need one

[keith&carol]

If you are only going to the Parks possibly not but that could of course change at any time if the Dept of Transport chooses to get its act together and inform everyone as they probably should have done. If you are going to use the blue badge anywhere else at all I personally wouldn't want to risk it now. Hotels, restaurants , shops etc are private property but are subject to the law the same as everywhere else. We've been lucky enough to go to Orlando many times and believe me the police do check these places frequently. I know it's a bit confusing because it's a relatively new law but look at it this way. If you hadn't come on this chat board and seen the new advice you could have been the next blue badge holder in Florida to have a parking fine denting your wallet. It has already happened to some people and will no doubt continue to do so unless the law is changed again.
Carol

[Saratoska]

tbh I wouldn't want to risk it, I would be panicing the whole time the car was parked incase we came back and it had been clamped or we had the fine. plus ok disney say yes but what if you want to go to a restaurant outside the parks of the malls. have seen loads of police patroling DTD for example

we hire a disabled car over their and he supplies the disabled badge he says we can't use ours, he has nothing to gain by telling us anything different because he has them on his cars anyway and I would gather he would know the laws over there

[rizzy135]

Do you have personal knowledge of all the new laws that keep coming in here? I know I don't.
The change in the US is with the Dept of Transport rules which would not be common knowledge to most people I would imagine.
I wasn't happy about this new rule when we first heard about it but applying for a Temp Parking Tag is not difficult and only costs $15. When you renew it (as we have several times now) there is no further charge.
People have been fined for not having the appropriate US badge and what folks like Disney parking attendants say is not worth a hill of beans if you come up against a police or security officer who is just doing his job. I can't see why it would be worth the risk for the sake of $15.
Carol

I didn't realise that if we renew the permit next time we travel it would be free, excellent info, thanks
One more thing i wouldn't bother posting your documents (we had loads of trouble) iwould fax them or e-mail them.

[tomnj]

Do you have personal knowledge of all the new laws that keep coming in here? I know I don't.
The change in the US is with the Dept of Transport rules which would not be common knowledge to most people I would imagine.
I wasn't happy about this new rule when we first heard about it but applying for a Temp Parking Tag is not difficult and only costs $15. When you renew it (as we have several times now) there is no further charge.
Carol

Good point. This change is not something broad casted all over the news. Other than law enforcement why would most Americans need to know this. It's not something that concerns them. The retailers arent responsible for the parking laws and are in no position to offer legal advice.

[GentleGiant]

I didn't realise that if we renew the permit next time we travel it would be free, excellent info, thanks
One more thing i wouldn't bother posting your documents (we had loads of trouble) iwould fax them or e-mail them.

Only free if renewed within 6 months.