TAMPA, Fla. — The Wings for Autism event at Tampa International Airport transformed the travel experience for 100 families with children on the autism spectrum, providing a supportive environment to navigate the airport process without stress.
WATCH: ‘Wings for Autism’ at Tampa International Airport offers stress-free travel experience for families
The event, organized by the Arc Tampa Bay Foundation, Tampa International Airport, and Southwest Airlines, provided families with a seamless experience from check-in to departure.
Families were able to show their TSA tickets, go through security, board, and proceed to their destinations. The goal is to ease the pressure on parents while their kids experience the joys of air travel.
“Unfortunately, you know, it's not easy for others to I, you know, not to judge, but there's people who don't like it, or just say, you know, hey, you know, please, you know, have your child Calm down, sit down and things like that,” said Chris Nagle, a mother who brought her son David to the event today. “So it's good that he gets to see the process. So when he does do it, eventually he will know, okay, hey, this is the way it is, and I have to sit down."
“They're excited, you know, to just proactively have that opportunity to give their child the extra support to kind of like I said that dress rehearsal, to go through stage by stage, so they know what to anticipate when they're actually ready to take that trip,” said Beth Tasis, executive director of the Arc Tampa Bay Foundation.
Wings for Autism has done this event at several airports across the country. But it’s the first time they’ve done it at Tampa International Airport.
The event reached capacity quickly due to its high demand.
“You know, it might just be time we take a look if HOAs are really even necessary.
Maybe we should just do away with homeowner associations as a whole.”
South Florida lawmaker Rep. Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami) says it may be time to do away with homeowners associations altogether, as more Floridians speak out about rising fees, costly lawsuits, and even arrests tied to HOA disputes. He said this week that he is considering filing legislation in the next session that would abolish HOAs statewide.
