Seth Johnson
State Rep. Chuck Clemons, R-Newberry, questioned this week whether Gainesville’s gender-neutral restrooms at City Hall violate state law, and he’s asked for an advisory opinion from the Florida Building Commission on the issue.
Clemons’ office sent the petition for an advisory opinion to local media on Thursday. In the letter, Clemons said it is his duty to bring attention when parts of the state circumvent or ignore the laws.
“The City of Gainesville’s new practice of adding locks to the entrance door of multi-closeted restrooms and decreeing all of them to be gender neutral is a failed attempt to stymie the implementation of CS/HB1521 from the 2023 Session which relates to Facility Requirements Based on Sex,” Clemons said in the letter.
Rossana Passaniti, spokesperson for the city, said the construction to convert the bathrooms to gender-neutral facilities happen primarily in 2021 and finished in 2022.
The bill Clemons referenced passed the following year and became law on July 1, 2023. It passed the House on a 80-36 vote and passed the Senate on a 26-12 vote.
Clemons’ petition said the city’s conversion of gender-specific restrooms that multiple people can use into gender-neutral restrooms for one person at a time could also break the Florida Build Codes’ minimum number of restrooms requirement.
“Additionally, while the Florida Building Codes not only anticipates and requires separate facilities for men and women, it also proscribe [sic] the minimum number of toilet facilities which a public building must provide in relation to the population it serves,” the petition said.
On Friday, Mayor Harvey Ward said he hadn’t heard from Clemons on the issue and was unaware of any concerns the representative might have with the City Hall restrooms.
“If we are out of code, certainly we want to comply with state building codes,” Ward said.
The two lobby restrooms of City Hall both have locks for one person to use at a time. One has a toilet and urinal while the other has three toilets. A sign inside the door reminds people to, “Please lock the door behind you.”
All other public-facing restrooms in the building are single-use occupancy.
Besides not having enough restrooms according to code, Clemons said the gender-neutral bathrooms might put City Hall outside the ratio of male to female facilities. According to a section of state law called “potty parity,” restrooms open to the public must have a 3:2 water closet ratio for women over men.
Clemon reminds me of that kid that was always picked last at sports games. Even now finding ways to make it everyone’s problem
Time to appoint a Latrine Authority to oversee lavatory equity – the ONLY equity he appears to be concerned with.
Clemons understands! As for Harvey’s comment on the lobby restrooms that urinal stall doesn’t even have a door on it but the toilet stall does. Let’s say that signage isn’t seen someone forgets to lock the door, I wouldn’t want to see a man peeing. (I typically lock the door behind myself others may not)
Rascal
Elected officials like Clemons who can’t get their minds out of the toilet must be voted out. We need legislators who will work on real problems with citizens to develop meaningful solutions .
Chuck Clemons–get a life!
Good God! Clemons has already wrested GRU from our control, now he’s concerned with toilets in City Hall? C’mon Chuck, get a life. Do something positive for once!