FL Bill To Ban Local Heat Protections For Outdoor Workers Lands On Rhonda Santis' Desk

A total of 88 environmental, faith and progressive groups are calling on Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto legislation that would ban local governments from requiring employers to provide protections for outdoor workers who toil in extreme heat. The only county in Florida that had been considering enacting such a heat protection ordinance was in Miami-Dade County.

But after pressure from industry groups, the ordinance was substantially watered down to only take effect when outdoor temperature equaled or exceeded 95 degrees. However, after the Legislature passed its bill this session preempting local governments from enacting any heat protections, the proposed ordinance was withdrawn from the Miami-Dade County Commission’s agenda without comment last month.

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HB 433 was sponsored by Fort Myers House Republican Tiffany Esposito. It also includes a provision that will remove “living wage” ordinances currently in existence in certain counties in 2026. But the part of the bill that prohibits local governments from requiring employers to meet or provide heat exposure requirements is inspiring calls for DeSantis to veto the legislation.

During committee hearings in the Legislature, some Republicans and business officials disputed the need for such laws, saying that employers are already protecting their workers who toil in the heat, a point disputed in the letter sent on Tuesday to DeSantis. “If this is the case, then, why are industry leaders concerned about a bill that can protect those workers whose employers may not be providing those protections? What is business afraid of if they are already doing the right thing? We know of hundreds, if not thousands, of stories of workers who do not receive those protections in the workplace.”

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https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/04/03/dozens-of-groups-call-on-desantis-to-veto-bill-denying-heat-protections-for-outdoor-workers/