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Blind Man in Florida Calling Out Local Restaurant
A blind man in Florida is calling out a local restaurant for kicking him out after he brought his service dog inside with him.
Local news station WFLA reports that Mike Keech of Hudson, Florida, says that he was still asked to leave the local Overtime Sports Bar & Grill because of the presence of his service dog even after he showed them a certification card that outlined his rights under the Americans With Disabilities Act.
WFLA describes Keech as feeling "humiliated" by the ordeal.
“I don’t have to take this," Keech said. "I just wanted a hamburger with mushrooms and a couple of Budweisers — that’s
In an interview with WFLA, restaurant owner Cindy Smith took responsibility for the decision to refuse Keech service, although she said that her intention was not to punish people with disabilities who have service animals, but rather to stop people from bringing their pets in with them and claiming them as "comfort animals."
“In the past week, someone came in saying they had a service dog and it almost bit a customer,” Smith said. “We have dogs trying to sit in their laps, sitting on stools, trying to eat off their plates, and it’s a little difficult in recognizing what’s legitimate and not legitimate.”
She has since apologized to Keech and offered him a burger and beer on the house the next time he comes into her establishment
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