Florida lawmakers debate lifting some child labor laws
In late March 2025, claims (archived) circulated online that the state of Florida was debating lifting some child labor laws to fill jobs formerly held by immigrants.
(X user @crampell)
The claims originally dated (archived) from around Feb. 19, when Republican state Sen. Jay Collins submitted Senate Bill 918: Employment of Minors.
Claims about the bill recirculated on X (archived), Facebook (archived), Threads (archived), Reddit (archived) and Bluesky (archived) around March 25, when the bill advanced from the Florida Senate Committee on Commerce and Tourism.
However, while it is true that the bill proposed removing certain protections in Florida's child labor law, neither the bill itself nor Sen. Collins referenced immigrants as the express purpose for doing so. We reached out to Collins for his comments on whether the bill seeks to place teenagers in roles previously held by immigrants and await his reply.
Rather, it was Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis who brought migrants into the discussion around child labor laws in the state. During a roundtable discussion hosted by the New College of Florida on March 20, DeSantis said:
They said when we did E-Verify — we've got big resorts, we've got all this — they said oh, you know, "You're not going to be able to hire people" or whatever. And, one, that hasn't been the case in Florida. Yes, we had people that left because of those rules but you've also been able to hire other people. And what's wrong with expecting, like, our young people to be working part time now? I mean, that's how it used to be when I was growing up. 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 did not reference Senate Bill 918 during the discussion.
Senate Bill 918 sought to amend Florida Statute 450.081 that governs work hours for 15- to 17-year-olds in the state.
The bill sought to remove both specific regulations on child labor such as working hours but also an existing waiver system where the Department of Business and Professional Regulation could waive "the restrictions imposed by the Child Labor Law on the employment of a child" when "such waiver is in the best interest of a child."
Should Senate Bill 918's amendments pass, 16- and 17-year-olds in Florida would be allowed to work before 6:30 a.m., after 11 p.m., more than eight hours per day when school is scheduled the next day and more than 30 hours per week.
The bill also proposed to remove a requirement for breaks for 16- and 17-year-olds, who are currently entitled to a 30-minute meal break when working more than four hours continuously.
At the time of this writing, Senate Bill 918 had advanced through the Florida Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee but still had other committee votes and a full Senate vote to pass before it could be signed into law.
The bill itself did not mention immigrants or that its purpose would be to get children or teens to fill roles left by immigrants who left the U.S. after the Trump administration's crackdowns.
However, major news outlets reported the bill's passage through the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee alongside DeSantis' statements about expecting teenagers and college students to work.
The alleged connection was also brought up by Democratic state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith in the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee discussion of the bill on March 25.
Smith quoted DeSantis saying that teenagers and college students "should be able to do this stuff," referring to resort hospitality work, and said (at 1:09:04):
So, I just read a quote to you from Gov. Ron DeSantis last week saying the quiet part out loud. The quiet part being that we're somehow going to solve the current labor shortage that we have in Florida, that was worsened with anti-immigrant rhetoric, with child labor.
Smith was among four senators in the committee who voted against the bill. Collins, who submitted the bill, did not comment on this criticism while addressing the committee about the bill.
artcandee.bsky.social. "Florida State's Legislature 'Is Set to Debate a Bill That Would Loosen Child Labor Laws, Allowing Children as Young as 14 Years Old to Work Overnight Shifts.'" Bluesky, 25 Mar. 2025, https://bsky.app/profile/artcandee.bsky.social/post/3ll7y7l4mlk2z.
Chapter 450 - 2024 Florida Statutes - The Florida Senate. https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2024/Chapter450/All#:~:text=ch.%202024%2D25.-,450.095%E2%80%83Waivers.,-%E2%80%94In%20extenuating. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.
Chapter 450 Section 081 - 2012 Florida Statutes - The Florida Senate. https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2012/0450.081. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.
@citizensforethics. "Florida Is Considering Weakening Child Labor Laws to Help Fill Vacancies Created by Deportation of Undocumented Immigrants." Threads, 25 Mar. 2025, https://www.threads.net/@citizensforethics/post/DHo9bnaKFXG.
Committee on Commerce and Tourism. https://www.flsenate.gov/media/videoplayer?EventID=1_ky7xx6qg-202503250830&Redirect=true. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.
@crampell. "Florida Debates Lifting Some Child Labor Laws to Fill Jobs Vacated by Undocumented Immigrants." X, 25 Mar. 2025, https://x.com/crampell/status/1904634714897400043.
@CuringAmerica. "Breaking: Florida to Remove Child Labor Laws, in Order to Make up for Deported and Disappeared Minorities." X, 27 Mar. 2025, https://x.com/CuringAmerica/status/1905230764876140783.
"Florida Legislation Would Relax Restrictions on the Working Hours of Teenagers." AP News, 26 Mar. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/child-labor-florida-aba51db9ee25b751fb103e4ce5f3a6a6.
Jones, Chelsea. DeSantis Backs Bill Loosening Child Labor Laws amid Immigration Crackdown - CBS Miami. 26 Mar. 2025, https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/desantis-backs-bill-loosening-child-labor-laws-amid-immigration-crackdown/.
New College of Florida. "SOCRATIC STAGE: What's Next for U.S. Immigration Policy? [Ft. Governor DeSantis, T. Homan & C. Wolf]." YouTube, 20 Mar. 2025, https://www.youtube.com/live/KxLw_Amuc20?t=4317s.
Senate Bill 918 (2025) - The Florida Senate. https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/918/?Tab=BillHistory. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.
@SheCarriesOn. "Another Year, Another Bill That Aims to (Further) Weaken Child Labor Law in Florida. ." X, 20 Feb. 2025, https://x.com/SheCarriesOn/status/1892387672984883277.
The Florida Senate. "COMMITTEE VOTE RECORD." The Florida Senate, 25 Mar. 2025, https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/918/Vote/2025-03-25%200830AM~S00918%20Vote%20Record.PDF.
u/mockingbird-. "Florida Debates Lifting Some Child Labor Laws to Fill Jobs Vacated by Undocumented Immigrants." Reddit, 25 Mar. 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/nottheonion/comments/1jjjcty/florida_debates_lifting_some_child_labor_laws_to/.
United Humanists. "Florida Has Been Working for Years to Crack down on Employers That Hire Undocumented Immigrants. ." Facebook, 26 Mar. 2025, https://www.facebook.com/unitedhumanists/posts/pfbid02Z2ymafwYEQuuwTLPgsxBaFACdthhRtn5pPaMbjdY1mSNoBJfJtqZ5W8qXuptCdPal.
Valinsky, Jordan. "Florida Debates Lifting Some Child Labor Laws to Fill Jobs Vacated by Undocumented Immigrants | CNN Business." CNN, 25 Mar. 2025, https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/25/business/florida-child-labor-laws/index.html.
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