DeSantis Signs Bill Banning Laws that Protect Outdoor Workers from Heat

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Thursday that bans laws providing heat protection for outdoor workers.

The bill, which passed through the state senate last month, bans local government from requiring companies to “meet or provide heat exposure requirements beyond those required by law.”

The legislation was signed into law just in time for Florida’s warm summer months. Last summer was the hottest on record (tied with 2015) in the state’s history.
With areas in the state reaching abnormally high dew points, there were several weeks in August 2023 with feel-like temperatures significantly above 100 degrees.

Labor rights groups are concerned this law will put workers at further risk for heat stroke, heat-related illnesses, and even death.

This is not the first law of its kind among the country’s hottest states. Last year, Texas Governor Greg Abbott passed a law banning mandatory water breaks for outside workers.

Who will this law affect the most? What do you think?