Florida's proposed solution for losing migrant workers: more teen labor

Axios

25-03-2025

Amid state and national immigration crackdowns that are narrowing the workforce, Florida lawmakers are exploring what Gov. Ron DeSantis considers a potential solution: more child labor.
Why it matters: Allowing kids to work longer hours could cut into their education, hurting their academic prospects, and would likely disproportionately harm low-income youth who have to work because of their circumstances, advocates told the Tampa Bay Times.
State of play: A Senate committee on Tuesday advanced Senate Bill 918, which would allow teenagers as young as 14 to work overnight shifts and remove time limitations and required meal breaks for 16- and 17-year-old workers.
The vote comes a week after DeSantis suggested that young workers could help replace "dirt cheap" labor performed by undocumented workers.
"Why do we say we need to import foreigners, even import them illegally, when you know, teenagers used to work at these resorts, college students should be able to do this stuff," DeSantis said at a panel discussion with President Trump's border czar, Tom Homan.
Zoom in: The bill, sponsored by Sen. Jay Collins, R-Tampa, removes all time restrictions in Florida law for 16- and 17-year-old workers.
Those regulations include bans on working before 6:30am or after 11pm on school days or for more than eight hours in one day or 30 hours in a week when school is in session.
It would also remove those protections for 14- and 15-year-old workers under certain conditions, including if they've graduated high school or obtained their GED, are enrolled in virtual or home school, or work for their parents.
Flashback: A similar proposal last year, pushed by the conservative Foundation for Government Accountability, was watered down by the end of the lawmaking session, the Times reported.
What they're saying: At Tuesday's meeting, Collins said his bill fills a gap in teaching kids "executive function."
"We want our kids to be academically prepared," he said, "but let's talk about soft skills. Let's talk about adult function. Let's talk about executive thought process and management. Where do they learn that? Do we teach them that in school?"
Child labor is "fundamentally a parental rights issue," he added. "This is the free state of Florida. … We do what's right, no matter how difficult it is or how many people stand up against it."
Yes, but: Even members of Collins' party expressed discomfort with some aspects of the bill and said it needed work.
"I share many of the same concerns that my colleagues do up here," Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-Indian Rocks Beach, told Collins. "We're talking about 14- and 15-year-olds."
Between the lines: Federal child labor laws also place limits on work by kids younger than 16, including hours restrictions. Workers who are 16 or 17 don't face a federal hours limit for non-agricultural jobs.
The bill passed the Senate Committee on Commerce and Tourism 5-4, with one Republican lawmaker, Sarasota Sen. Joe Gruters, joining Democrats in voting against it.