José Delgado and Ron DeSantis

Mr. Delgado is a 75-year-old farmworker in Florida.  He suffered a heat stroke in 2018, when he was hospitalized.  A group called “We Count!” formed shortly thereafter to push for local laws that would require employers to provide water and rest and shade breaks for Miami-Dade County’s agriculture and construction workers on excessively hot days.

Leaders in the agriculture and construction industry said such rules would create “an unneeded burden” on those industries.

In April Gov. Ron DeSantis, signed a bill banning cities and counties from imposing protections on agricultural and construction workers.

DeSantis was sitting in his air conditioned office at the time.

Information for this post came from Patricia Mazzei, “At 75, A Florida Farmworker Still Toils Under a Hot Sun,” New York Times, (27 Oct. 2024), P. 17.