🔑 Key Takeaway
Florida surpassed New York to become the #2 state in the nation for ADA website lawsuits in 2025, with 1,823 federal filings. Serial plaintiffs are systematically targeting restaurants, hotels, tourism companies, and small businesses across Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, and Miami. Local TV investigations across 7+ Florida markets are bringing this crisis into public view — but for most business owners, the first they hear about it is when they're served.
The Numbers: Florida's ADA Lawsuit Surge
According to Seyfarth Shaw's 2025 annual ADA Title III data— the most comprehensive lawsuit tracking in the industry — Florida logged 1,823 federal ADA lawsuits in 2025. That's a 12% increase from 1,627 in 2024, and it pushed Florida past New York into the #2 position nationally for the first time in the 13 years Seyfarth has tracked this data.
📊 Florida Federal ADA Title III Lawsuits by Year
2018
1,941
2019
1,885
↓ 3%
2020
1,208
↓ 36%
2021
1,054
↓ 13%
2022
1,350
↑ 28%
2023
1,415
↑ 5%
2024
1,627
↑ 15%
2025
1,823
↑ 12%
Source: Seyfarth Shaw / LexMachina ADA Title III tracking (federal cases only — state court filings not included)
The story these numbers tell is clear: after a pandemic-era dip, Florida ADA lawsuits have been on a relentless upward climb since 2021. The state has seen a 73% increase in filings over just four years (1,054 in 2021 → 1,823 in 2025).
And these are only federal court filings. Seyfarth Shaw notes that an increasing number of ADA cases are being filed in state courts, which are not captured in this data. The true number of ADA lawsuits targeting Florida businesses is almost certainly higher.
Why Florida Became the #2 ADA Lawsuit State
Florida's rise to the #2 position isn't random — it's the result of several converging factors that make the Sunshine State uniquely attractive to ADA plaintiffs and their attorneys.
🏨 Tourism & Hospitality Capital
Florida is home to over 1.4 million businesses, many of them in tourism, hospitality, restaurants, and retail — industries that rely heavily on public-facing websites. Orlando alone attracts over 75 million visitors annually, and every hotel, restaurant, attraction, and tour company needs an accessible website.
⚖️ Favorable Court Environment
While New York federal courts have tightened standing requirements for serial ADA plaintiffs, Florida's federal courts have not enacted similar restrictions. This makes Florida a more receptive jurisdiction for filing.
🔄 The New York Migration Effect
Seyfarth Shaw documented that serial plaintiff attorneys have been migrating their caseloads away from New York as federal courts there apply more rigorous standing scrutiny. New York dropped from 3,173 filings in 2022 to just 1,471 in 2025 — a 54% decline. Many of those attorneys and plaintiffs moved to Florida and Illinois.
💰 High Settlement Incentives
Florida businesses — especially small and mid-sized operations — are more likely to settle quickly rather than fight protracted litigation. When a lawsuit costs $40,000+ to defend but can be settled for $5,000-$15,000, the math pushes businesses toward quick settlement, which incentivizes more filings.
Serial Plaintiffs Targeting Florida Businesses
A significant portion of Florida's ADA lawsuit volume comes from serial plaintiffs — individuals who file dozens or even hundreds of nearly identical lawsuits against businesses. These plaintiffs use automated website scanning tools to identify potential WCAG violations, then file cookie-cutter complaints.
⚠️ The Serial Filing Pattern
The pattern is well-documented: a single plaintiff or small group of plaintiffs, represented by the same law firm, will file hundreds of nearly identical lawsuits across a geographic area. Each complaint alleges the same types of WCAG violations — missing alt text, inaccessible forms, lack of keyboard navigation — against different businesses.
The DOJ's recent intervention in the Fashion Nova case highlighted this issue nationally: the plaintiffs' law firm had filed over 500 identical lawsuits between 2019 and 2023. And separately, a New York judge recently ordered discovery on a plaintiff who had filed 57 lawsuits — 22 in just 4 days.
In Florida, the pattern is particularly pronounced. Local investigations have identified attorneys filing 200+ accessibility lawsuits against businesses from Jacksonville to Miami, with individual plaintiffs appearing in dozens of cases across the state.
To be clear: the underlying accessibility problems are real. Most websites targeted in these lawsuits do have legitimate WCAG violations. The debate isn't whether businesses should make their websites accessible — they should, and they're legally required to. The question is whether the current litigation model actually achieves accessibility improvements or primarily enriches law firms.
Local Media Investigations Expose the Scope
The scale of ADA website lawsuits in Florida has drawn attention from local television stations across the state. Cox Media Group and other broadcasters have run multi-part investigations in 7+ Florida markets, interviewing small business owners who were blindsided by lawsuits.
What Local Investigations Have Revealed
Jacksonville
Local restaurants and small businesses hit with demand letters and lawsuits. Business owners reported receiving legal threats they didn't understand, for websites they assumed were "fine" because they worked on their phone.
Orlando
Tourism-dependent businesses — hotels, attractions, tour operators — targeted en masse. A single law firm filed dozens of cases against Orlando-area hospitality companies in rapid succession.
Tampa / St. Petersburg
Healthcare providers and professional services firms targeted. Medical practice websites, law firm sites, and financial advisor pages all hit with similar complaints about form accessibility and screen reader compatibility.
Miami / Fort Lauderdale
E-commerce businesses and luxury retailers targeted. South Florida's high concentration of online retailers makes it a prime hunting ground for automated accessibility scanning followed by rapid-fire lawsuits.
These investigations have brought public attention to a problem most business owners don't even know exists until they're served. The common thread across every market: business owners had no idea their websites needed to be accessible under the ADA, and they were shocked at the cost of defending even a straightforward lawsuit.
Which Florida Industries Are Most at Risk
While any business with a public-facing website is technically at risk, certain Florida industries are disproportionately targeted based on lawsuit filing patterns and the types of websites that serial plaintiffs scan.
Restaurants & Food Service
Very High RiskOnline menus, reservation systems, and ordering platforms are frequently inaccessible. PDF menus without alt text, inaccessible third-party ordering widgets, and missing form labels on reservation systems are the most common violations.
Hotels & Hospitality
Very High RiskBooking systems, room selection interfaces, and property galleries often fail WCAG standards. Interactive elements like date pickers, room type selectors, and photo carousels are common pain points. ADA compliance extends to the entire digital booking experience.
Tourism & Attractions
High RiskTicket purchasing, event calendars, and interactive maps frequently lack keyboard navigation and screen reader support. Orlando's theme parks and Florida's marine attractions have particularly complex digital experiences that often fail accessibility checks.
Retail & E-Commerce
High RiskProduct pages, shopping carts, checkout flows, and payment forms must all be accessible. Florida's large retail sector — from boutiques to major chains — faces ongoing scrutiny. Product image alt text and accessible filtering systems are frequent issues.
Healthcare Providers
High RiskPatient portals, appointment scheduling systems, and health information pages must comply. Florida's large senior population makes healthcare accessibility both a legal requirement and a practical necessity.
Real Estate
Moderate RiskProperty listing pages, search filters, interactive maps, and virtual tour features frequently lack accessibility. IDX/MLS integration often introduces third-party accessibility issues that the listing agent is responsible for.
Professional Services
Moderate RiskLaw firms, accounting practices, financial advisors, and insurance agencies — even small operations — can be targeted if their websites have accessibility gaps. Contact forms, appointment schedulers, and document download sections are common issues.
City-by-City: Where Florida Lawsuits Are Concentrated
While Seyfarth Shaw's data tracks filings at the state level, ADA website lawsuits in Florida are concentrated in the state's major metropolitan areas and their surrounding business corridors. Federal court districts provide a rough geographic breakdown.
🏙️ Miami / South Florida
Southern District of Florida
The highest volume of ADA website filings in Florida. South Florida's concentration of e-commerce businesses, luxury brands, and international companies makes it a primary target. The Southern District has historically seen the most ADA Title III activity in the state.
Industries: E-commerce, luxury retail, hospitality, financial services, healthcare
🎡 Orlando / Central Florida
Middle District of Florida
Orlando's massive tourism industry creates a target-rich environment for accessibility lawsuits. Hotels, theme park affiliates, tour companies, restaurants, and vacation rental operators all maintain consumer-facing websites that must be accessible. The sheer volume of hospitality businesses makes this district a hotspot.
Industries: Tourism, hospitality, vacation rentals, restaurants, attractions
⚓ Jacksonville / North Florida
Middle District of Florida (Jacksonville Division)
Jacksonville's growing business community — particularly healthcare, logistics, and professional services — has seen increasing targeting by serial plaintiffs. Local media investigations revealed restaurants and small businesses hit with lawsuits over basic website accessibility issues they didn't know existed.
Industries: Healthcare, restaurants, logistics, professional services, retail
🌊 Tampa / St. Petersburg
Middle District of Florida (Tampa Division)
Tampa Bay's diverse economy — healthcare, technology, finance, and tourism — means businesses across multiple sectors face ADA website scrutiny. The area's growing tech sector creates unique risks, as SaaS companies and tech firms must ensure both customer-facing and internal-facing applications meet accessibility standards.
Industries: Healthcare, technology, finance, tourism, restaurants
What Florida ADA Website Lawsuits Actually Cost
The financial impact of an ADA website lawsuit extends far beyond the settlement amount. Here's what Florida businesses typically face:
Average Settlement
$5K–$25K
Most cases settle before trial
Legal Defense Fees
$40K+
Even for straightforward cases
Remediation Cost
$3K–$50K
Depends on site complexity
Proactive Monitoring
$29/mo
Prevention vs. $40K+ cure
Real Florida Case Examples
Jacksonville restaurant
Chophouse / upscale dining, 2-location business
~$20,000
Florida florist / small business
Single-location retail, basic website
~$7,000
Orlando tourism company
Tour operator with booking system
~$15,000
South Florida e-commerce retailer
Online-only store, complex product catalog
~$35,000
Amounts include settlement + legal fees. Actual remediation costs are additional. Based on publicly available case data and industry reporting.
💡 The math is simple: Proactive accessibility monitoring at $29/month costs $348/year. Even the smallest ADA settlement ($5,000) represents over 14 years of continuous monitoring. The IRS also offers a Disabled Access Credit (Form 8826) of up to $5,000/year for small businesses investing in accessibility.
Florida's Legal Landscape: What Courts Are Saying
Florida's federal courts have taken a generally expansive view of ADA Title III's application to websites, though recent nationwide trends are beginning to shift the landscape.
Websites as Places of Public Accommodation
The Eleventh Circuit (which covers Florida) has held that websites of businesses that are "places of public accommodation" under ADA Title III must be accessible. This means any Florida business that serves the public — restaurants, hotels, stores, healthcare providers, professional services — must ensure its website complies with accessibility standards.
Online-Only Businesses Are Not Exempt
Recent 2026 federal court rulings — including cases out of Wisconsin (Cazares v. Acro International and Hippe v. Me Too LLC) — have affirmed that even businesses without a physical storefront must comply with ADA website accessibility requirements. Florida e-commerce businesses cannot rely on a "no physical nexus" defense.
Standing Requirements Are Evolving
While New York courts have cracked down on serial plaintiff standing, Florida courts have not yet adopted similar restrictions. However, the DOJ's recent Fashion Nova intervention — which criticized the serial filing model — may influence Florida judges over time. Some Florida state courts have also begun questioning serial plaintiff patterns.
No Florida-Specific ADA Reform (Yet)
Unlike Utah, Missouri, and California, which have introduced "right to cure" legislation, Florida has not enacted state-level ADA reform. There is no mandatory notice period before filing suit, and no safe harbor for businesses actively working on compliance. Florida businesses have no legislative protection — making proactive compliance the only defense.
The April 2026 ADA Title II Deadline and Florida
While the April 24, 2026 ADA Title II deadline technically applies to state and local governments, its ripple effects will be felt across Florida's private sector:
Raised awareness. As Florida cities, counties, and school districts scramble to meet the deadline, the concept of "website accessibility" enters mainstream consciousness — and plaintiff attorneys follow the attention.
Spillover targeting. Government contractors and vendors doing business with Florida municipalities may face accessibility requirements as a condition of their government contracts — even if they're private businesses.
WCAG 2.1 AA as the standard. The Title II rule formally adopted WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the compliance standard, reinforcing this as the de facto minimum for all organizations, public and private.
School districts and universities. Florida's school districts and universities face the Title II deadline directly, creating a statewide compliance wave that increases scrutiny on all organizations.
How Florida Businesses Can Protect Themselves
Florida has no "right to cure" law and no safe harbor provisions. The only reliable defense is proactive compliance. Here's a practical 5-step plan:
Scan Your Website Now
Run a free accessibility scan to identify your current WCAG violations. RatedWithAI scans your entire site and provides a detailed report with specific WCAG criteria that need attention. Most Florida business websites have 20-100+ violations they don't know about.
→ Free scan at ratedwithai.com — takes 60 seconds
Fix Critical Issues First
Focus on the violations that trigger the most lawsuits: missing image alt text, inaccessible forms (missing labels, no error identification), keyboard navigation failures, low color contrast, and missing page language attributes. These issues cover 80% of what serial plaintiffs target.
→ Prioritize WCAG 1.1.1, 1.3.1, 2.1.1, 2.4.4, and 4.1.2
Set Up Continuous Monitoring
A one-time fix isn't enough. Website updates, new content, plugin changes, and third-party integrations can reintroduce accessibility issues overnight. Continuous monitoring catches regressions before a plaintiff's scanner does.
→ RatedWithAI monitors from $29/month — catches issues before lawsuits
Document Your Compliance Efforts
Courts look favorably on businesses that demonstrate good-faith efforts to achieve and maintain accessibility. Keep records of when you scanned, what you fixed, your monitoring schedule, and any accessibility training your team completed. This documentation can be powerful evidence if you're ever sued.
→ Maintain a compliance log with scan dates, fixes, and remediation plans
Publish an Accessibility Statement
Add an accessibility statement to your website footer with: your commitment to accessibility, the WCAG standard you're working toward (2.1 AA), contact information for reporting accessibility issues, and the date of your last accessibility review. This shows good faith and provides an alternative to litigation for users who encounter barriers.
→ Add to your footer — takes 15 minutes, signals good faith
Don't Wait for a Lawsuit
With 1,823 ADA lawsuits filed in Florida in 2025 and the number still climbing, the question isn't if your business will be scrutinized — it's when.
Scan Your Website Free →Full WCAG 2.1 AA audit in 60 seconds. No credit card required.
Florida Business WCAG Compliance Checklist
These are the most common WCAG violations found in Florida business websites — and the ones serial plaintiffs target most frequently:
For a complete guide to fixing these issues, see our How to Fix Common WCAG Failures guide and our Complete WCAG 2.2 Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many ADA website lawsuits were filed in Florida in 2025?
Florida had 1,823 federal ADA Title III lawsuits in 2025, making it the #2 state nationally — up from #3 in previous years. This was a 12% increase from 1,627 in 2024, and the true number is higher when including state court filings.
Why are Florida businesses being targeted?
Florida has a massive number of consumer-facing businesses (tourism, hospitality, restaurants), its federal courts have been more receptive to ADA plaintiffs than New York's, and serial plaintiff attorneys have migrated their filing activities to Florida as other states tighten standing requirements.
What industries in Florida are most at risk?
Restaurants and food service, hotels and hospitality, tourism and attractions, retail (brick-and-mortar and e-commerce), healthcare providers, real estate, and professional services. Any business with a public-facing website offering goods or services is at risk.
How much does it cost to defend an ADA website lawsuit?
Legal defense alone typically costs $40,000+. Most businesses settle for $5,000–$25,000 to avoid extended litigation. Remediation (actually fixing the website) is additional. Total costs range from $10,000 to $150,000+.
Is my Florida business required to have an accessible website?
Yes. Under ADA Title III, businesses that are 'places of public accommodation' must ensure their websites are accessible. Federal courts have consistently held that websites are extensions of physical places of public accommodation, and the DOJ has reinforced this position.
Does Florida have a 'right to cure' law for ADA violations?
No. Unlike Utah, Missouri, and California, Florida has not enacted ADA reform legislation. There is no mandatory notice period before filing a lawsuit and no safe harbor for businesses working on compliance. This makes proactive compliance your only defense.
Are restaurants required to have accessible online menus?
Yes. If your restaurant has an online menu, reservation system, or ordering platform, it must be accessible under the ADA. PDF menus without alt text, inaccessible third-party ordering widgets, and missing form labels on reservation systems are common violations that trigger lawsuits.
How can I protect my Florida business from an ADA lawsuit?
Proactive compliance is the only reliable defense: (1) Scan your website for WCAG violations, (2) Fix critical issues (alt text, form labels, keyboard navigation, color contrast), (3) Set up continuous monitoring, (4) Document your compliance efforts, and (5) Publish an accessibility statement. Monitoring starts at $29/month — a fraction of any lawsuit defense.
Is Your Florida Business Compliant?
With 1,823 ADA lawsuits filed in Florida last year and serial plaintiffs actively scanning websites across Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, and Miami — proactive compliance isn't optional. Find out where you stand in 60 seconds.
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