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TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill this week that prohibits local governments from imposing wage requirements on contractors or requiring heat exposure protection for workers.
DeSantis’ office announced the signing of the bill (HB 433) in a news release Thursday night, along with nine other bills passed this year in Congress.
The heat and wage restriction bill signed into law on Thursday received support from business groups and underwent a series of changes in the final minutes of the session. It received final approval from both the House and Senate on March 8, the last day of the session.
Bill Haar, Florida representative for the National Federation of Independent Business, said in a statement Thursday night that the bill would help “create a stable environment in which owners can grow their businesses.”
“Small business owners don’t have the time or resources to navigate a confusing and contradictory array of local ordinances that go beyond what the state already mandates,” Herle said.
But more than 90 organizations, including the Center for Biological Diversity, Earthjustice, the Florida League of Women Voters, the Florida Farm Workers Association and the NAACP Florida Conference, signed a letter to DeSantis opposing the bill and calling for a veto. The measure is known as a “preemption” bill because it would take power away from local governments.
“Floridians are feeling the heat rising and understand how difficult and dangerous it is to work in the sun and heat,” the opponents said in an April 2 letter. said. “Proactively stripping local governments of their ability to protect workers from the extreme heat of climate change is inhumane and will have significant negative economic consequences given the loss of productivity.”
The heat restriction portion of the bill comes after the Miami-Dade County Commission last year proposed requiring construction and agricultural companies to take measures such as ensuring workers have access to water and taking 10-minute breaks in the shade. It was submitted after consideration. every two hours when the heat index is 95 degrees or higher, according to a House staff analysis.
The bill would also prohibit local governments from dictating the wages contractors pay. The statewide minimum wage is $12 an hour and will increase to $13 an hour on September 30th. Under the 2020 constitutional amendment, the minimum wage would continue to rise to $15 an hour in 2026 and be adjusted annually for inflation starting in 2027.
Opponents of the bill said in Congress that blocking local governments from imposing higher wage demands on contractors would effectively mean workers in some parts of the state would face pay cuts.
But House sponsor Rep. Tiffany Esposito, R-Fort Myers, argued the bill should save taxpayers money and allow businesses to decide how much their workers pay. Advocates also pointed out that the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration can take action against employers related to worker heat exposure.
“Employers have a vested interest in taking care of their employees, and we see that through their actions,” Esposito said.
Among other bills signed Thursday are a bill (HB 201) that increases the amount of insulin that pharmacists can administer to patients during emergency refills and designates property and property at Tyndall Air Force Base in Bay County. The bill (SB 968) was included. The spaceport area was within the former boundaries of Homestead Air Force Base in Miami-Dade County.
Supporters say the spaceport bill could boost the aerospace industry, make the state more attractive to supply chain companies and help protect the region from federal decisions that could affect the base. said.
Written by Jim Turner, Florida News Bureau
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