File a Discrimination Complaint

If a person or business has discriminated against you because of protected classes, the Hillsborough County Human Rights Ordinance protects you.  Also, the Fair Housing Act prohibits certain types of discrimination in selling, renting or financing a home. 

Filing a complaint does not guarantee a resolution or any restitution.

Eligibility and protected classes

• Must live in unincorporated Hillsborough County, Temple Terrace, or Plant City
• Discrimination Involves one of the following protected classes:
  • Race, color, gender, age, national origin, religion, disability, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression
  • Age, marital status, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression only apply to the Human Rights Ordinance only and not the Fair Housing Act

Fees

There are no fees associated with filing a complaint.

Human Rights Ordinance complaints

For Human Rights Ordinance complaints, you must file within 180 days of the incident for all of the following types:  

County contracting and procurement activities

• Procurement Activities under the control of the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners

Credit extension practices

• All aspects of a credit transaction

Employment

• All employment practices are covered
• Employers with five or more employees working thirty (30) or more hours per week are covered by the ordinance
• Existing Federal laws cover state and Federal employees, and these employees may file complaints through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or the Florida Commission on Human Relations (FCHR)
• Employees of the State of Florida should contact the EEOC

Public accommodations

• No person may be refused admittance, service or provided different conditions of service in any facility that is open to the public and licensed by the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, Department of Business Regulation or Hillsborough County
• Exemptions include membership clubs or other establishments not open to the public

Fair Housing Act complaints

• Housing complaints are covered by the federal Fair Housing Act
• You must file the complaint within one year of the incident
• If you have a disability, your landlord must allow you to make appropriate modifications to your home, and their policies should include reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities
• Unless a community qualifies as senior housing, a landlord can’t refuse to rent to you if you have kids
• You can file a complaint at the federal, state and local levels
• Types of discrimination:
  • Refusing to rent or sell to a classification noted above
  • Lying about the availability of housing
  • Evicting someone from housing
  • Discriminating in the terms and conditions of housing, such as amount of rent, security deposits, sale prices, financing, the use of facilities, or maintenance
  • Blockbusting
  • Refusing to make a mortgage loan
  • Refusing to provide information regarding loan
  • Imposing different terms or conditions on a loan
  • Discriminating in appraising a property

Discrimination inside Tampa city limits

• If the discriminatory incident happened with the city limits of Tampa, call their Office of Human Rights and Community Services at (813) 274-5835

How to

1. Determine the nature of the discrimination
2. Gather information about the incident such as:
   • Date and address where discrimination/harassment took place
   • Name, address and phone of person/business that you feel discriminated against you
   • Respondents reason for the behavior, if they gave any
   • Witness information (if any)
   • Description of event
3. Determine what you would like to see happen as a result of this review
4. Complete the Intake Questionnaire and Rights and Responsibility form online, by mail or fax​
   • Submit the form online 
   • Download and print the form, then mail or fax the completed and signed questionnaire and form to the EOA Office
     Mail
     Hillsborough County Equal Opportunity Administrator Office
     700 E. Twiggs Street, Suite 830
     Tampa, FL 33602
     Fax
     (813) 276-2217

What's next

1. Our EOA office will contact you after we receive the complaint and determine if the allegations are covered by the Hillsborough County Human Rights Ordinance or the Fair Housing Act
2. If we determine the allegations are covered, we will send you a packet of information
3. We will start the investigation and work with both parties to resolve the dispute

Resources

• Hillsborough County Human Rights Ordinance
• Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
• HUD regional Office - (800) 440-8091

Get help

Department: Equal Opportunity Liaison
Email: ponderjyp@hcfl.gov
Phone: (813) 272-6554