• Florida anti-discrimination laws keep the playing field level.eggs on yellow background image by PaulPaladin from Fotolia.com
  
  Florida anti-discrimination laws protect all citizens from practices that deny them equal treatment in employment, housing and other areas of day to day life. These laws provide civil avenues for citizens that believe services have been denied to them based on sex, race, marital status or other protected criteria to seek redress.
  
  

Fair Housing Laws

• Florida's Fair Housing Law protects potential home buyers and renters from discrimination based on race, gender, marital status, religion, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, or skin color.
  
  It is unlawful for real estate agents to refuse to show someone a home or advertise a home for sale so as to discriminate against any potential buyers with regard to the above-mentioned criteria.
  
  Representing to someone that a home or rental is not available for sale or occupancy based on these discriminatory criteria is also prohibited by the statute.
  
  

Civil Rights Statutes

• According to the Florida Commission of Human Relations, it is unlawful to discriminate against anyone for employment on the basis of age, race, religion, national origin, handicap, disability or marital status. Certain types of discrimination are permissible when it comes to physical strength required to perform job duties or certain physical dimensions required to fit into employee uniforms. The law also prohibits discrimination regarding admission to clubs, both public and private, based on the above criteria.
  
  

Equal Pay Laws

• Florida state law conforms to the U.S. Equal Pay Act of 1963 guaranteeing equal pay for men and women for performing the same work. No employer in the state of Florida may privilege one sex over the other in terms of hourly wages and advancement opportunities. It is also unlawful to discriminate against an employee through uneven wages based on race, color, disability, handicap, or other previously mentioned factors.
  
  

Americans With Disabilities

• The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 protects those with handicaps or disabilities against discrimination in housing, employment, and other areas of daily life. In Florida, it is illegal to build housing with the intention of excluding those with disabilities just as it is unlawful to exclude them from employment opportunities where the disability does not significantly impact the ability to perform the essential tasks of the position.