Florida teens ages 16 and 17 who have permission from their parents will now be able to hold full-time jobs under a measure signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis on March 22.
CS/HB49, the Employment and Curfew of Minors rolls back certain state policies aimed at putting limits on child labor to allow teens with their parent’s permission to be employed the same number of hours as someone who is 18 years of age or older.
The measure also eliminates a law requiring that teen employees age 16- and 17-years of age have a 30-minute break for every four hours worked in a row.
Meanwhile, minors age 15 years of age or younger must receive a 30-minute break after working continuously for four hours, and employees age 15 years or younger may not work before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. on school days and may not work more than six consecutive days in one week.
After the signing, Bill Herrle, Florida State Executive for the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), said that the measure helps teens learn new skills that they may later use to open their own businesses.
“For many young people, this first job is the key to gaining the skills they need to be successful for the rest of their lives,” Herrle said. “Also (the measure) gives parents and guardians the right to decide what’s right for their teens and helps Florida’s small businesses find workers.”
The new law goes into effect on July 1.
