Stanley v. City of Sanford

Plaintiff Stanley, a wheelchair user, sued the City of Sanford in federal court alleging that deteriorated and non-compliant sidewalks violated Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Stanley claimed that the city’s failure to maintain curb ramps and pedestrian routes denied equal access to public services. The city moved to dismiss, arguing lack of standing and that the alleged barriers were not part of a public program. On June 20, 2025, the district court issued an order addressing these arguments.

The court partially denied the city’s motion to dismiss, allowing the ADA and Rehabilitation Act claims to proceed while dismissing a separate claim for intentional discrimination. The city was ordered to conduct an accessibility audit of its pedestrian infrastructure.

Whether the plaintiff had standing to sue for systemic sidewalk inaccessibility; whether municipal sidewalk conditions constitute a public service under the ADA; and whether the City of Sanford could assert sovereign immunity.

The ruling prompted Sanford and neighboring municipalities to review sidewalk and curb-ramp compliance, and disability rights advocates cited it as reinforcing that public right-of-way accessibility is a civil rights obligation.