By Genesis Aviles
A bill aimed at filling labor gaps left by undocumented immigrants has sparked debate in the Florida Legislature, which is considering changes to the state’s child labor laws.
Florida lawmakers have advanced a bill to loosen child labor laws, allowing 14-year-olds to work overnight shifts and teenagers to work overnight jobs during the school week.
SB 918 will take effect July 1, 2025, and will eliminate the current prohibition on 16 and 17-year-olds working before 6:30 a.m. or after 11 p.m. on school nights.
“This is about trusting parents — not government — with decisions about their own kids. This bill gives families the freedom to decide when their teenagers can work while still keeping basic guardrails in place,” said Senator Jay Collins.
“It lines Florida up with federal law and removes red tape that held back motivated young people who want to earn a paycheck and build real-world experience. There are no mandates in this bill, just more options for families — it puts the choice back where it belongs: with the family, not the government,” said Collins.
The proposed legislation would also remove the restriction limiting minors to eight-hour workdays on school nights and lift the current 30-hour weekly work limit without a waiver during the school year.
The Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee approved the bill by a 5 to 4 vote. It must clear two additional committees before a vote by the full Senate.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has publicly supported increased immigration enforcement while the state legislature considers revisions to child labor laws.
“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,” said DeSantis at a panel discussion reported by the Tampa Bay Times.
A 2023 Florida law mandates that employers with 25 or more employees use the federal E-Verify system to check the immigration status of their workers. Non-compliant employers face daily fines of $1,000 until proof of legal work status is provided.
“Yes, we had people that left because of those rules, but you’ve also been able to hire other people. 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,” said DeSantis during the panel discussion.
Ana Figueroa, professor of education at The University of Tampa, said the proposed change to child labor laws could significantly harm students’ academic performance and well-being.
“I believe the proposed changes to Florida’s child labor laws will have an enormous impact on students’ academic success and well-being,” said Figueroa.
She said increased work hours would reduce time for studying and practice, potentially weakening academic understanding.
Figueroa also said that exhaustion from longer workdays could lead to decreased engagement in class, increased absenteeism, and higher dropout rates.
“In a society where students already experience increasing anxiety and mental health concerns, they should not bear the added responsibility of balancing longer work hours,” she added, emphasizing the importance of extracurricular activities for socialization and personal development.
The number of child labor violations in Florida had nearly tripled in recent years, according to U.S. Department of Labor statistics.
Danielle Wright-Landry, mother of a 17-year-old high school junior with a part-time job, voiced concerns that the proposed change could negatively affect her daughter’s academics and extracurricular activities due to increased work hours.
“These proposed changes are concerning to me,” said Wright-Landry.
She said her daughter, already balancing a demanding school schedule and limited work hours, struggles to manage homework and participate in activities like the forensics club she co-founded.
“If there are no regulations limiting the amount of time she is able to work, what kind of pressure will managers/owners be able to put on impressionable young people, who may not feel they have the power to say no … or even know they can say no?” said Wright-Landry.
“I understand that many families need their kids’ help,” said Wright-Landry.
While acknowledging potential needs in specific situations like family farms or businesses, she suggested these were exceptions that shouldn’t dictate broader labor laws.
“The more responsible move for our state, families, and society as a whole would be to pay people a livable wage instead of finding a cheaper workforce,” said Wright-Landry.
Highlighting her daughter’s demanding academic schedule and extracurricular involvement, she expressed concern that increased work hours would exacerbate the stress already faced by teenagers.
“They are so overstretched and stressed, and now we want to allow employers to put more stress on them? Oh, and not give them breaks!” said Wright-Landry.
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Photo courtesy of Caleb Dyson.