'Just be considerate': The daily reality behind disabled parking

Have you ever pulled into a grocery store parking lot and spotted a car sitting in a disabled parking space only to notice there’s no handicap placard hanging from the mirror?

It’s something many drivers have seen. And for people who rely on those spaces, it’s more than a minor inconvenience — it can be the difference between getting inside safely and turning around and going home.

For Fort Myers father David Trubbiartex Jr., that reality is part of everyday life.

“Just put them in the car one hand at a time. It’s a little hassle, but it could always be worse,” he said, loading his wheelchair and preparing to drive.

A single father of two boys, ages 9 and 11, Trubbiartex stays busy coaching youth sports and staying involved in the community.

“So I’m involved in the community, coach a couple sports, and I have two boys, 9 and 11, so they keep me active,” he said.

Nearly nine years ago, his life changed dramatically.

“December 1, 2017, is when I got in a wheelchair,” he explained. “It’s very similar to a tumor — when it bleeds, it damages the nerves around there.”

Since then, he has had to relearn many everyday tasks most people take for granted, including how to drive.

“It’s a lever system you clip onto each pedal,” he said, demonstrating the hand controls in his vehicle. “When you’re driving, you pull it, and it hits the gas. When you brake, you push it forward.”

The system gives him independence. But accessibility still depends heavily on something simple: a parking space.

Trubbiartex uses a state-issued handicap parking placard everywhere he goes. Still, accessible parking isn’t always available — even when spaces appear open at first glance.

“Just this past Saturday, I went into Sam’s Club,” he said. “There was just no parking available. With as heavy as traffic was, with my two kids, I just didn’t feel comfortable making that distance.”

He says it’s not uncommon to see drivers parked in designated disabled spaces without a placard — despite fines that can reach up to $250 in Florida.

“You see it quite often, actually,” he said. “I don’t want to judge a book by its cover, but when there’s no handicap placard, unfortunately, it does happen far more often than it should.”

Obtaining a disabled parking placard in Florida isn’t automatic.

According to Dr. Sue Hook of Samaritan Health Center, patients must first receive medical certification from a health care provider. There is a questionnaire involved, and qualifying conditions are defined under state law.

But not all disabilities are visible.

“Sometimes we will have people with restrictive lung disease, COPD, emphysema, that appear fairly healthy,” Dr. Hook explained. “They are not carrying oxygen, but to walk 20 yards, they are out of breath. They have to sit down because of their lung disease.”

Florida law also allows expectant mothers to obtain a temporary disabled parking permit for up to one year.

“We have to trust our health care providers to say, ‘I’m doing our due diligence to make sure this person really needs a handicap parking space,’” Hook added.

Under current Florida law, businesses must provide one disabled parking space for every 25 total parking spaces.

A bill currently moving through the Florida Legislature, HB 543, would address a specific issue for drivers with permanent mobility equipment.

The proposal would prevent vehicles equipped with permanent mobility-access modifications from being towed if they take up more than one parking space when designated accessible spots are unavailable.

Advocates say it’s a step forward, but not a full solution.

“At the end of the day, we just have to make sure we are coexisting with each other, following the rules and abiding by them,” Trubbiartex said.

He hopes people remember that disabilities don’t always look the same.

“Everyone has their own story,” he said. “Just be considerate of others, because at the end of the day, you don’t know what someone else is going through until you go through it.”

For drivers who don’t need accessible parking, the message is simple: those blue spaces aren’t about convenience, they’re about access, safety and independence.

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