A Florida state law that took effect July 1 bans local governments from passing regulations to protect workers from extremely hot weather.
It was passed by the state legislature in March after a failed effort to pass an ordinance at Miami-Dade County to require construction and agriculture employers to provide workers water, shade, and rest breaks on very hot days, and train workers on heat illness. Business groups said that local rule would be too expensive and complicated to enforce. The new state law prevents advocates from trying again. It says local heat protections can only match state protections, and the state doesn’t have any, for now. The bill also directs the state government to come up with a rule — in 2028.
Texas passed similar legislation in 2023, banning local rules that would require water breaks for construction workers. The state law nullified ordinances in Austin and Dallas that required 10-minute breaks every four hours so that construction workers could drink water and protect themselves from the sun.
