Florida Needs Workers After Deporting Illegals: Teens Working Nights to Replace Them

Florida has for years sought to crack down on employers who hire undocumented immigrants. But that has created a problem for businesses desperate for workers willing to fill low-paying, unpopular positions, according to CNN.

Photo: Jhansen2 | Dreamstime.com

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state legislature have proposed a possible solution: child labor.

On March 25, the state legislature proposed a bill that would change child labor requirements, allowing teenagers as young as 14 to work night shifts. If the changes are adopted, they would be able to work night shifts even on school days. Current legislation prohibits them from starting work before 6:30 a.m. or finishing after 23 p.m.

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The bill passed the Florida Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee on March 25, with five votes in favor of easing child labor restrictions to four against. The bill must go through two more committees before it can be voted on by the full Florida Senate.

DeSantis supports the measure and has openly advocated for tougher immigration policies, echoing Trump's rhetoric. But economists warn that could backfire, causing further inflation and labor shortages.

“Why are we saying we need to bring in foreigners, even illegally, when teenagers used to work in these resorts and students should be able to work part-time?” DeSantis said last week during a panel discussion with border policy director Tom Homan.

In 2023, Florida signed a law requiring employers with more than 25 employees to verify their immigration status using a federal database known as E-Verify. Employers who fail to comply with the law face fines of $1000 per day until they provide proof of their workers' legal status.

"Yes, we had people who left because of these rules, but you were able to hire other workers. And what's wrong with our young people working part-time? That's how it was when I was growing up," he continued his argument during the panel discussion.

The state has been loosening child labor protections for years. Last year, the Legislature passed a law allowing home-schooled 16- and 17-year-olds to work at any time of day.

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On March 25, the Republican-controlled state Legislature debated a new bill that includes a number of other changes, such as lifting restrictions on work hours for 14- and 15-year-olds if they are home-schooled and eliminating guaranteed lunch breaks for 16- and 17-year-olds.

Child labor violations in Florida have nearly tripled in recent years, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

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