TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa Bay-area representative is urging the federal government to finish creating workplace protections for outdoor workers during extreme heat exposure after the Florida governor signed a bill barring local governments from requiring protections.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor wrote a letter to the secretary of the Department of Labor and assistant secretary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) saying this legislation is harmful to workers, especially during the sweltering Florida summers.
She said DeSantis' law also comes after OSHA issued a heat hazard alert reminding employers of their obligation to protect workers against heat illness or injury.
"I am very concerned with the impact of heat stress on my neighbors who work outside including our letter carriers, farmworkers and trades workers," Castor wrote.
She noted that last year, the Tampa Bay region lived through the hottest July on record, and this summer's temperatures are predicted to be above normal again. Workers should have access to breaks, protective equipment, water, cooling stations and education on how to recognize heat-related illness, she wrote.
In 2024, more than 2,300 deaths were linked to excessive heat in the U.S., which was the highest number in 45 years of records. There were 84 people killed in Florida by the heat.
"The devastating health and economic consequences of the climate crisis continue to grow, and the Tampa Bay region is particularly at risk for extreme heat and worsening air quality on hot, humid days," Castor wrote.
Currently, there are no specific laws in Florida that provide heat exposure protections for outdoor workers. There are just recommendations that employers provide these protections. OSHA also does not currently have any specific heat exposure standards, according to a legislative analysis.
In 2021, OSHA began the rulemaking process to consider a heat-specific workplace standard and presented its draft of the framework in April. In her letter, Castor stressed the importance of expediting this rule to protect workers across the country and in Florida. She also encouraged the administration to continue outreach and enforcement efforts in areas where workers are most affected by the heat.
The Florida law, set to go into effect July 1, went back and forth between chambers, and it passed 24-15 in the Senate and 74-36 in the House. Rep. Susan Valdes, D-Tampa, voiced her concern about the implications of the bill at a House meeting.
"Unfortunately some employers are that cold that they will not give breaks and you see that goes against all of my beliefs, all of them," she said.
In response to this comment, Republican Rep. Tiffany Esposito, who sponsored the bill, said her husband works outside in construction and takes gallons of water with him because it's his responsibility to take care of himself on the job site.
The bill also prevents local governments from requiring its contractors to pay higher wages, which brought concerns for counties like Miami-Dade where workers are paid more than minimum wage because the cost of living in that area is higher.