Gov. DeSantis signs bill to ease decades-old regulations on hours 16- and 17-year-olds can work

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a measure on Friday aimed at relaxing decades-old regulations on the hours that Floridian minors older than 16-year-old can work.

The amended bill (HB 49), was among 25 pieces of legislation signed by DeSantis that day.

Known as one of the most controversial bills of the 2024 legislative session, the final version represented a significant departure from the original bill.

RELATED: Florida Senate moves forward on revised proposal to loosen work restrictions for 16-and 17-year-olds

The original version proposed allowing minors 16 and older to work full-time without parental input, removing requirements for work breaks, and permitting children to work past midnight on school nights.

While the bill faced concerns about its potential impact on students’ studies and the use of teenagers to address labor shortages, it was backed by groups such as the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association and the National Federation of Independent Business-Florida.

The FRLA argued that current limitations on child labor create excessive challenges for the businesses they represent and discourage employers from involving minors in job opportunities.

“The current regulations are overly restrictive and can be challenging to manage,” said FRLA lobbyist Samantha Padgett, speaking on behalf of more than 10,000 hotel and restaurant owners at a committee hearing for HB 49 in December. “Additional staffing is desperately needed.”

Proponents argued that the bill would provide flexibility in standards imposed in 1986 due to child labor violations in the state.

NFIB-Florida President Bill Herrle emphasized that the bill would empower parents to control the hours worked by teens.

“No one wants young people to work longer hours or work under unsafe conditions... House Bill 49 simply gives parents and guardians the right to decide what’s right for their teens and helps Florida’s small businesses find workers,” Herrle stated.

The bill, which passed the House with a vote of 76-33 and the Senate with a vote of 27-11 on March 8, faced opposition from Democrats who sought to introduce more state oversight for teen workers.

Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, addressed the irony that lawmakers on March 8 passed a measure (HB 7063) preventing strippers under age 21 from working in adult entertainment establishments, designed to curb human trafficking.

“I really think that the most vulnerable age for trafficking actually is going to be less than 18, and unfortunately service jobs have very high rates of sexual harassment,” Eskamani said. “And we’re not providing protection for young people.”

RELATED: ‘It’s unAmerican’: New Florida bill would remove work hour restrictions for 16-and 17-year-olds

Despite efforts to amend the bill, the final version, signed by DeSantis, maintained a 30-hour workweek limit for 16- and 17-year-olds during the school year, with provisions for waivers by parents, guardians, or school superintendents.

Effective July 1, 2024, the law will allow teenagers to work more than eight hours on Sundays and holidays when school is the next day. Additionally, it mandates that teens working eight or more hours in a day receive a 30-minute meal break after four hours of work.

Among other bills signed by Governor DeSantis on Friday were measures requiring state prison inmates to submit DNA samples (HB 533) and introducing further restrictions on public-employee unions (SB 1746), following up on a controversial 2023 law.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, there have been at least 12 bills filed in 10 separate states over the past two years aimed at loosening child labor laws.

READ: Florida bill weakening child labor protections at construction jobs heads to Senate

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