TAMPA, Fla. — In May, a Tampa Airbnb host was charged with the "denial of rights of the disabled"—a second-degree misdemeanor—for asking a woman to leave because of her service dog.
As of July 22—those charges were dropped.
ABC Action News spoke to the State Attorney's Office 13th Judicial Circuit. According to a representative, they dropped the charges for a few reasons, one of which was that the host claimed he also lived in the home he rented out.
According to state law, discriminatory practices like banning a service dog without cause are illegal when they happen in "public accommodations."
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But if the host lives in the home, it is no longer a fully "public" accommodation.
This all started back in February when Elizabeth Hartranft checked into her Tampa Airbnb. At the time, the host messaged Hartranft to say she'd violated their reservation policy by bringing a dog.
He initially asked her to leave and pay a cleaning fee.
Later, he offered to let Hartranft and her husband stay the night and leave the next day with a full refund.
But they chose to leave immediately.
ABC Action News caught up with Hartranft, who said she's disappointed by how the case has turned out—but ultimately hopes the Airbnb host learned a lesson.
"Hopefully, he learned that service animals are a thing and that people do need them," she said.
She also said she's still looking into suing Airbnb for how they handled her case.
A Hardee County grandmother is on trial this week for leaving her 7-month-old granddaughter in a hot car where the baby died —the second grandchild to die under Tracey Nix's care. ABC Action News I-Team Reporter Kylie McGivern sat down with Kaila Nix just days ahead of her mother's trial for aggravated manslaughter.
