New Florida law prohibits COVID-19 vaccine mandates without exemptions: private employers and educational institutions will face fines for each individual violation
11/19/21
By: Jessica Farrelly & Jessica Cauley
On November 18, 2021, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law that created Florida Statutes § 381.00317, 381.00319, 112.0441, and amended the currently existing section 1002.20. The bill provides a wide prohibition …
Florida Governor Signs Employment Eligibility Verification Bill into Law
7/2/20
By: Melissa Santalone
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed into law a bill on verification of employees’ legal authorization to work in the U.S. that is a far cry from the original bill proposed at the beginning of the legislative …
U.S. Department of Education Announces Temporary Halting of Wage Garnishments
3/30/20
By: Jeffrey A. Hord
On March 25,
2020, the Department of Education (DOE) announced that it will temporarily halt seizing
wages and/or withholding tax refunds from borrowers who have defaulted on their
student loans held by the federal government.
As …
Florida Legislature is One Among Several Pushing for Mandatory Use of “E-Verify”
11/8/19
By: Melissa Santalone

A Florida State Senator has filed a bill that would require, beginning January 1, 2021, all Florida businesses to use the “E-Verify” system to check whether each newly hired employee is authorized to work in the U.S. …
Florida Employment Law and The Use of Consistent Terminology
1/17/19
By: Michael Kouskoutis
Florida’s First DCA recently reversed summary judgment in favor of Florida A&M University (FAMU) in a contract dispute with the school’s former head football and basketball coaches.
The coaches both had 4-year contracts with the University, each …
New Florida Law Change Allows Property Owners to Challenge Lapsed Covenants
11/30/18
By: Melissa Santalone
A recently enacted section of the Florida Statutes allows property owners to seek court intervention to prevent their community associations from revitalizing lapsed covenants and restrictions as to their parcels. Property owners can commence an action for …
EEOC Settlement With Florida Hotel Is A Reminder To Be Careful In Implementing A Mass Termination Program
8/1/18
By: Jeremy Rogers
Recently, the EEOC announced a settlement in a lawsuit brought against SLS Hotel in South Beach. The lawsuit, filed in 2017, followed an investigation into charges made by multiple Haitian former employees who had been terminated in …
Arbitration Agreement Litigation Wins Continue to Fall Like Dominoes for Pizza Hut
6/26/18
By: Tim Holdsworth
Following the Supreme Court’s opinion in Epic Systems that class and collective actions waivers in arbitration agreements are enforceable, a federal court recently granted a motion to compel arbitration to one of the nation’s largest Pizza Hut …
Florida Appellate Court Invalidates Local Minimum Wage Law
2/9/18
By: Melissa A. Santalone
A recent decision by Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal invalidated Miami Beach’s local minimum wage law, holding that a state statute preempted the local ordinance. In 2016, the City of Miami Beach enacted a local …
2017 Florida Legislative Scorecard for Labor and Employment Laws
8/9/17
By: Melissa A. Santalone
In its 2017 legislative session, both houses of the Florida Legislature introduced bills on a wide array of topics that, were they to become law, would affect the interests of Florida employers in numerous ways. Over …
What’s in a Name?
6/20/17
By: Jeremy W. Rogers
Oftentimes in the law, a seemingly straightforward term or name for something turns out to be not so straightforward. Common meanings need to be defined or else creative attorneys may avoid mandates set forth by statute, …
Ten Years After Its Passage, Florida’s Law on Employment Leave for Victims of Domestic Violence Remains Obscure
5/31/17
By: Melissa A. Santalone
As of July 1, 2007, Section 741.313 of the Florida Statutes mandated that Florida employers with 50 or more employees must provide an employee who has been employed for three or more months with up to …