TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — In the wake of a new state law that preempted any local ordinance requiring heat-related breaks for workers, the Florida Policy Institute said state action is needed to protect nearly half a million Floridians who work in outdoor jobs.
The state passed the preemption law during the most recent legislative session, and Governor Ron DeSantis signed it into law. The preemption came after local cities and communities in the state began to pass rules mandating breaks and other requirements for workers outside the state.
With the preemption of local laws and no state law requiring any protection, employers have the choice to provide breaks or other protection.
The Florida Policy Institute said nearly half a million workers in the state work in outdoor jobs, primarily in construction, amusement, recreation, and landscaping. Additionally, it said nearly 26% of all Floridians (5,750,273) are "highly vulnerable to extreme heat," and in 20 counties, more than a third were highly vulnerable.
The FPI said "statewide policy intervention" was "paramount" and the state "must spread awareness about heat-related illness, stop the preemption of local heat exposure ordinances, and pass a statewide law that covers all outdoor workers."
A state report says hundreds of frail elderly nursing home residents were stacked side by side, head to toe in a small church with no working air conditioning or refrigerator during Hurricane Helene.
