Florida - Tuesday July 23, 2024: More than 5.7 million Floridians — 26.2 percent of the state’s population — are highly vulnerable to extreme heat, according to a new report by the non-partisan Florida Policy Institute (FPI).
There are currently no state or federal laws requiring specific heat exposure standards, nor is there any requirement that employers educate workers on how to spot Heat Related Illnesses (HRI).
Further, during the 2024 legislative session, Florida lawmakers passed a measure, HB 433, that preempts local governments from requiring private employers to implement heat-exposure protections.
In its report, FPI recommends repealing HB 433 and rejecting new preemptions of inclusive worker policies, plus mandating statewide protection against HRI in Florida.
The report is titled - High Heat, Higher Responsibility: The Sunshine State Must Enact Policies to Protect Working Floridians.
Click on this link to read the full report > report.
The FPI report also found that:
- Nearly half a million Floridians work in outdoor jobs.
- Florida's top three outdoor industries are construction, amusement and recreation, and landscaping.
- Florida has the nation’s highest rate of heat-related illness (HRI) — a term encompassing the range of responses when a person’s body cannot cool down — with 31,011 emergency room visits and hospitalizations between 2018 and 2022.
The think tank found that of the 20 counties with the highest shares of highly vulnerable residents — Calhoun, Citrus, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Highlands, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Okeechobee, Putnam, and Sumter — 13 are in North Florida.
The U.S. Census Bureau categorizes residents’ “social vulnerability” to extreme heat based how many components individuals or households face — having a disability, lacking health insurance, or living in low quality housing, for example. FPI describes those with three or more such components as “highly vulnerable.”
“As FPI’s latest report shows, vulnerability to extreme heat intersects with other quality-of-life determinants, including access to health care coverage,” said Sadaf Knight, CEO of FPI. “When state lawmakers prioritize the safety and the health of working Floridians, everyone thrives. But without common-sense workplace protections, heat-related illness, coupled with Florida’s high uninsured rate, will spell trouble for a growing number of residents.”
“The need for state intervention concerning heat protections is paramount,” said Alexis Tsoukalas, PhD, senior policy analyst and lead author of the report. “Florida experienced its hottest summer on record last year and is poised to surpass that record this year. And it leads the nation in heat-related illness. Now more than ever, requiring employers to offer basic protections, like shade and water breaks, is critical.”
