PLACEMENT: Departmental
TITLE:
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AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) TITLE II DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY COMPLIANCE UPDATE AND UNFUNDED MANDATE BUDGET REQUEST
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
executive summary
The U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) new ADA Title II Final Rule requires all County digital content to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards by April 2026. As this is an unfunded mandate, Martin County requests additional funds for accessibility upgrades, training, and compliance support.
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DEPARTMENT: Administration
PREPARED BY: Name: Stephanie Merle
Title: Director of the Office of Management & Budget
REQUESTED BY: Don Donaldson, County Administrator and George Stokus, Assistant County Administrator
PRESET:
PROCEDURES: None
BACKGROUND/RELATED STRATEGIC GOAL:
In 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a new regulation under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that directly affects all state and local governments, including Martin County. This rule requires that all government websites, mobile applications, documents, and other digital communications be accessible to individuals with disabilities.
The DOJ adopted the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Version 2.1, Level AA as the national standard. These guidelines ensure that digital content can be used by people who rely on screen readers, captions, keyboard navigation, or other assistive technologies. The goal is for all residents-regardless of physical, sensory, or cognitive ability-to have equal access to the County’s online services and information.
For Martin County, which serves a population of more than 50,000, the federal compliance deadline is April 24, 2026. At that point, all County digital content-including websites, online forms, PDF materials, social media posts, videos, and mobile tools-must meet these accessibility standards.
This requirement is an unfunded federal mandate. It will require staff time, technical assessments, and possibly outside vendor support to retrofit our existing materials and verify that new digital content is ADA-compliant. Although the current administration has delayed some other ADA rulemakings, this Title II rule remains active and enforceable through the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. Noncompliance could expose the County to civil penalties or investigations under federal law. County Administration is requesting additional funding to support web accessibility upgrades, staff training, and vendor auditing to meet the federal deadline. Additional expenditures may be necessary later as we evaluate other County systems and content for full accessibility compliance.
The initial request for funding includes approximately $50,000 for various accessibility technology applications and tools, as well as professional support for testing and remediation for countywide web documents. Additionally, the Building department is requesting approximately $28,000 for digital accessibility training sessions for fillable forms and templates related to the user-facing needs of the Building Department operation.
ISSUES:
While ADA digital accessibility compliance will improve equitable access to County information and services, the County may experience an increase in public records resulting from the removal of documents that are not able to be remedied for digital accessibility. This could result in greater demand on staff time and resources to manage, review, and respond to these requests to remain in compliance with state and federal requirements.
LEGAL SUFFICIENCY REVIEW:
This item has been reviewed for legal sufficiency to determine whether it is consistent with applicable law, has identified and addressed legal risks, and has developed strategies for legal defensibility.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
RECOMMENDATION
Move that the Board approve a Budget Transfer from General Fund Reserves for Contingencies in the amount of $50,000 for the preliminary countywide accessibility efforts; and
Move that the Board approve a Budget Transfer from Building and Permitting Fund Reserves in the amount of $28,000 for digital accessibility training for the Building Department.
ALTERNATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS
Move that the Board provide alternate direction.
FISCAL IMPACT:
RECOMMENDATION
Transfers from Reserves for the following:
|
Funding Source |
County Funds |
Non-County Funds |
|
General Fund Reserves for Contingency |
$50,000 |
|
|
Building and Permitting Fund Reserves |
$28,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Subtotal |
$78,000 |
|
|
Project Total |
$78,000 |
ALTERNATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS
None
DOCUMENT(S) REQUIRING ACTION:
☒Budget Transfer / Amendment ☐ Chair Letter ☐Contract / Agreement
☐Grant / Application ☐Notice ☐Ordinance ☐Resolution
☐Other:
This document may be reproduced upon request in an alternative format by contacting the County ADA Coordinator (772) 320-3131, the County Administration Office (772) 288-5400, Florida Relay 711, or by completing our accessibility feedback form at www.martin.fl.us/accessibility-feedback <http://www.martin.fl.us/accessibility-feedback>.