Ironically, it was his weakening condition that would launch Karantsalis on what would prove a Herculean task — a one-man battle against his own city to improve disability access. He lost the legal battle but also won the bigger war, if at a cost….
But there were obstacles to getting to the pool. It was difficult to navigate the sidewalk and curb in front of his house, which fronts a busy street that leads to Miami Springs Senior High School. He noticed the absence of handicap parking spaces at the pool complex, a city tennis facility and other public places, as well as on the main street in front of city hall, the public works department and a police substation….
Undeterred, Karantsalis reached out to a longtime friend, ADA advocate Matthew Dietz, a professor at the disability law clinic at the Nova Southeastern University College of Law. Thanks to Dietz, his ADA lawsuit regained traction in 2021 when a federal appeals court found that the statute of limitations had not yet expired in the case. It was set for trial in Miami federal court.
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