DeSantis Axes Bill On Housing For Farmworkers, Says Bill “Paves The Way For Housing Illegal Alien Workers”

Gainesville’s NPR affiliate reports:

Pointing to concerns that it could provide housing for illegal foreign workers, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday vetoed an agriculture industry-backed bill that would have made it easier to build housing for farmworkers. “The bill’s terms apply to legal migrant farm workers, but the bill does not include the means to enforce this limitation and could pave the way for housing of illegal alien workers,” DeSantis wrote.

The bill would have prevented local governments from inhibiting construction of farmworker housing on agricultural land if the housing met criteria set by the state. Members of the agriculture industry hoped the measure would bolster efforts to bring in more non-immigrant foreign workers. They said some farmers cut back on planting this year and might again next year because of labor shortages related to the state’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants.

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DeSantis vetoed a bill that would have provided housing for farmworkers. Another law will go into effect tomorrow banning heat protections for outdoor workers. No wonder there are worker shortages in Florida. Lawmakers treat the hardest working people in the state like garbage. https://t.co/JVwg16fRYv

— Thomas Kennedy (@tomaskenn) June 30, 2024