March 14, 2012 (JACKSONVILLE, Fla) Tonight, local hotels are scrambling to get in line with a new regulation. The Department of Justice is requiring hotels and public facilities to install a device that would make swimming pools accessible to people with disabilities. It’s all part of the Americans with Disabilities Act, but some say it’s a big blow to their bottom line.
It’s been many years since Patricia Scott has taken a refreshing dip on a hot Jacksonville day in a swimming pool. She’s been confined to a wheelchair since 2006 because of back injuries. “The only activities that I enjoy now is that if it rains, if I get caught in the rain outside, and that’s about it,” she said.