Florida Considers Easing Child Labor Laws Amid Workforce Shortages

As businesses across Florida continue to grapple with persistent staffing shortages following strict deportation measures for undocumented workers, state lawmakers are weighing a controversial solution: loosening child labor laws. A newly proposed bill in Florida would allow teens to work longer hours, including late-night shifts, to fill gaps in the workforce—a move that has sparked fierce debate among labor advocates, educators, and parents.

The legislation, introduced by Republican lawmakers, would roll back existing protections for 16 and 17-year-olds, eliminating restrictions on how many hours they can work during the school week and extending permissible working hours into the night. Proponents argue the changes are necessary to support local businesses and offer teens more financial independence. But critics warn the bill could lead to exploitation, hinder academic performance, and set a dangerous precedent by prioritizing economic demands over the well-being of young workers.

Florida’s GOP Governor Ron DeSantis and his legislature advanced a bill that would create wiggle room for children to work longer hours (including overnight shifts), and start working as young as 14 to work overnight shifts. CNN points out that if the order is passed, it would be permissible for workplaces to have teens work overnight on school days. The current law prohibits them from working any later than 11 pm or earlier than 6:30 am.

“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 alongside border czar Tom Homan.

DeSantis has vocally supported Homan’s aggressive plans on deporting undocumented residents and even made steps on his own to crack down on workers with alien statuses.

In 2023, a Florida law was enacted requiring employers to charge $1,000/day for failing to check employees’ immigration status via a federal database known as E-Verify.

“Yes, we had people that left because of those rules, but you’ve also been able to hire other people,” DeSantis said. “And what’s wrong with expecting our young people to be working part-time now? I mean, that’s how it used to be when I was growing up.”