Articles Discussing General Topics In Florida Employment Law.

After the passage of Florida Statute 381.00317 on November 17, 2021, employers with employees in Florida were left with new rules relating to COVID-19 vaccination policies, in many instances contrary to the signaled direction of federal government rules and guidance. Moreover, this new Florida law includes vague language, few

Nancy Johnson and Kimberly Doud of Littler’s Orlando office are back to discuss Florida’s new law relating to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and its interplay with the status of federal requirements. Nancy and Kimberly discuss how employers in Florida can understand if they need to comply with the new law, what

Executive Summary: “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.” This is how many Florida private employers feel right now given the conflicting federal regulations and Florida’s legislation concerning COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

On November 18, 2021, Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law measures that immediately prohibit workplace COVID-19 vaccine mandates for private and public employers and begin the process for Florida establishing a state occupational safety and health plan.  

As we relayed in our prior ASAP, Governor DeSantis signed HB-1B into law on November 18, potentially affecting all Florida employers and certainly causing many to reconsider any policies already adopted relating in any way to COVID-19 vaccinations.

The Florida Law

On November 15, the Florida Legislature convened for a special session to consider four proposed laws reacting to the recent federal vaccine mandates applicable to various employers throughout the country. Governor DeSantis’s announced intent for calling this special session and promoting the bills was to “stop the coercion” of

During a special session to consider what Governor Ron DeSantis called his “Keep Florida Free” agenda, the Florida Legislature passed several vaccine measures, some of which conflict with recently implemented federal rules, that affect the workplace.

Read our full coverage here.

Yesterday, November 18, 2021, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation designed to give employees numerous COVID-19 vaccination exemptions to use to avoid any mandatory vaccination policy their employers seek to impose.  Specifically, private employers must grant exemptions for: health or religious concerns; pregnancy or anticipated future pregnancy; past recovery from

Executive Summary: “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.” This is how many Florida private employers feel right now given the conflicting federal regulations and Florida’s proposed legislation concerning COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The feeling is understandable considering the federal government recently issued a new rule requiring private employers with 100 or more employees to implement COVID-19 vaccine mandates for their employees. Less than one week later, Florida proposed legislation (the “Proposed Law”) prohibiting employers from implementing mandatory vaccine policies. If Florida’s Proposed Law passes, it will be directly at odds with the federal regulations. This article will walk employers through how to handle this COVID-19 catch 22. 

On November 15, 2021, the Florida Legislature will convene a five-day special session under the proclamation issued on October 29, 2021, by Governor Ron DeSantis for the “Keep Florida Free” joint legislative agenda.

Nancy Johnson and Kimberly Doud of Littler’s Orlando office are back to discuss the state of vaccine mandates in Florida including the impact of OSHA’s announced ETS. Nancy and Kimberly discuss considerations for Florida employers given the ETS mandates and potential Florida legislative action related to vaccine mandates generally.  

Senate Bill 1532 amending §409.2576, Florida Statutes went into effect. Previously, only employers with 250 or more employees were required to report newly hired and re-hired individuals to Florida’s State Directory of New Hires within 20 days of hiring. Independent contractors were excluded. Now, as of October 1, any employer,

Executive Summary: Effective October 1, 2021, Florida businesses will be required to submit new hire information for their independent contractors to the Florida Department of Revenue. This is a significant change for business in Florida as previously reporting of independent contractors by a business was optional.

A recent amendment to child support laws will impose new and potentially onerous requirements on Florida businesses, starting October 1, 2021. The new law removes the current 250-employee threshold for new hire reporting, and, for the first time, requires businesses to report information regarding certain independent contractors.

Late last month, the Florida Supreme Court codified into Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.280(h) the “apex doctrine” and declared the doctrine applies with equal force to high-ranking corporate and government officials.