Florida revises labor laws, allowing teens to work full-time

Danette Heredia | Staff Writer

Florida passed 167 new bills targeting proper overtime compensation and teens in the workplace to accommodate for the rising prices of living, along with blocking counties from enforcing heat exposure safety standards.  

Effective July 1st, Florida will be widening the threshold for employees to earn overtime, increasing the salary exemption from $684 per week to $844 per week – more employees are now going to be eligible for earning overtime pay.

Child labor laws have also weakened since passing House Bill 49, allowing teens to work more than 30 hours a week with parent permission, and no more than eight hour work days.

House Bill 917 around teens in the home construction industry now allows them to work in the field, although under the supervision of an adult 21 years or older that maintains an OSHA-10 certification and minimum 2 years experience. 

The teen must also obtain an OSHA-10 certification to remain within OSHA compliance, but if a business is found out of regulation, they can face serious legal repercussions and hefty fines from the state of Florida. 

House Bill 197 also places strict restrictions on teens working in hazardous jobs like scaffolding, roof, superstructure, or using a ladder six feet or above. 

Florida has now restricted counties from developing and enforcing their own standards on heat exposure procedures, requiring them to follow state and national standards. 

Counties like Miami-Dade County for example, had already been making efforts into establishing a county-wide standard for heat exposure safety procedures, making sure that workers received proper water breaks when the heat index reaches 90.

But because of aforementioned state law, these programs had to be shut down.

With more than 26,000 ER visits from heat-related illness between 2018 to 2022, local governments are not able to respond to these crises’ or support their outdoor employees.

Rising temperatures, combined with Florida’s growing elderly population, will increase the likelihood of heat-related hospital visits for the forseeable future.

More bills are expected to be drafted throughout the year, signaling a loosening of previous labor policy priors.