PDF accessibility for Florida local government
Based on 39 Florida cities and districts Packetwell checked in September 2026.
We fix the scanned minutes, contracts, and attachments in your packets so they meet the federal standard. Checked by a person, back within 48 hours.
Federal ADA deadlines start April 26, 2027.
A 2024 Department of Justice rule under the Americans with Disabilities Act requires cities, towns and special districts to make their websites, including the PDFs they post, meet a technical standard called WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
The text is real text, so a screen reader can read it and search can find it
It reads in the right order, with headings
Tables, images and signatures are labeled or described
A scanned page is a picture of text. It fails all three.
Widgets, web viewers and “accessible version” buttons change what visitors see on screen, but the PDF your City posts is still a picture of text. The federal rule allows a separate version only when the original can't be made accessible, and a scanned PDF can be, so we fix the file itself.
| What gets fixed | No: What's shown on your website |
|---|---|
| Downloaded or emailed copy | No: Still a scanned picture |
| Scanned pages | No: Often missed or machine-read only |
| What you post | No: The original file, unchanged |
| What gets fixed | Yes: The PDF itself |
|---|---|
| Downloaded or emailed copy | Yes: Searchable and readable |
| Scanned pages | Yes: Turned into real text, checked by a person |
| What you post | Yes: The same-looking file, fixed |
We never change your words. The record stays exactly as you wrote it.
Signed minutes. Signed contracts. Proclamations. Engineer's reports. If it was printed, signed and scanned, a screen reader hears nothing. It doesn't matter how good your agenda looks. The attachments are where cities fail.
A real Florida city
A Florida city posted its meeting packet straight from the office scanner. Here's what changed after we fixed it.
Pages with searchable text went from 6 of 194 to all 194.
| What was checked | As posted | After Packetwell |
|---|---|---|
| Pages with searchable text | Not fixed: 6 of 194 | Fixed: All 194 |
| Bookmarks | Not fixed: 5, all named “Blank Page” | Fixed: 13, named by agenda item |
| Searching a vendor name from a signed contract | Not fixed: 0 results | Fixed: 23 results |
| Sideways pages | Not fixed: 3 | Fixed: Turned upright |
City name withheld. Every number comes from the actual before and after files.
Get a free scorecard for your packetYou don't need any special software, just the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Download a recent packet and open it in Acrobat Reader, not your web browser. Browsers can read scanned pages on the fly, which hides the problem.
Press Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on a Mac) and search for a word you can see on a signed contract, a proclamation or another attachment.
Press Ctrl+Shift+Y to turn on Read Out Loud, then Ctrl+Shift+V to read the page.
Tip: Check more than page 1. Typed agenda pages usually pass; the attachments are where scanned pages hide.
Found a problem? Send us the packet for a free scorecardWe'll count every page that fails and show you what it takes to fix them.
We check one of your recent packets and send a one-page report: which pages fail, why, and what it means for your residents.
We fix one document at no cost, often a set of scanned minutes, so you can see and test the result yourself.
Send us each packet and get it back within 48 hours, ready to post, for one flat monthly fee.
What we fix: scanned pages turned into real text, headings and reading order, tables, descriptions for images and signatures, title and bookmarks. Every file is checked with Adobe's accessibility checker and a real screen reader.
Pricing: one flat monthly fee based on how many pages you post. Month to month to start, and smaller towns and special districts pay less. Your free scorecard comes with a quote.
What clerks tell us
What's actually true
An HTML tool gives residents a separate web version. The PDF you post is still a picture of text, and that's the file people download, print and forward. The federal rule allows a separate version only when the original can't be made accessible. A scanned PDF can be, so we fix the file itself.
What clerks tell us
What's actually true
Searchable is a good start, but it isn't the same as accessible. The standard also needs tags, a reading order and descriptions for images, and every page should be checked against the original. We do all of it.
What clerks tell us
What's actually true
No. We take the documents before you post them and send them back within 48 hours, ready to go.
What clerks tell us
What's actually true
Every number on a scanned page is checked three ways: a second reading, row and column math, and a person comparing it with the original.
Tell us your city or district. We'll check a recent packet and send you the results, with no cost and no obligation.
Email peter@packetwell.com