March 25-31 marks National Farmworker Awareness Week, providing the perfect opportunity to reflect on the vital role Florida’s farmworkers play in our economy and food production.
Florida is a leader in many aspects of agriculture and farm work: according to the Florida Department of Agriculture, our state ranked No. 1 nationally in production value for several different kinds of plants in 2022, including indoor foliage. The Florida Department of Health estimates that between 150,000 and 200,000 seasonal migrant workers come to Florida each year to support this critical industry. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported in 2022 that Florida had the highest number of H-2A workers in the country (H-2A is a visa program for Temporary Agricultural Workers, who are recruited from other countries to do temporary seasonal work in the U.S.).
Despite the prevalence and importance of Florida’s agricultural industry, many of its workers—usually those doing the manual tasks on owners’ farms or nurseries—are often overlooked and their labor dismissed as “unskilled.” They toil for hours in the Florida heat, endure daily exposure to pesticides and other harmful chemicals, and often face wage theft and other forms of exploitation. They are the backbone of our state’s economy and food production, yet they encounter significant and unnecessary barriers like incredibly low pay, employment discrimination, lack of clean (or sometimes any) water and hand washing supplies, and more.
Further, Florida, one of the hottest states in the nation, has no statewide heat stress protection regulations for farmworkers, which has led to dangerous situations in recent years.
So, during this National Farmworker Awareness Week, what can be done?
Apopka has been dubbed the “Indoor Foliage Capital of the World” because of all the greenhouse nurseries located within and around the city. Apopka is also home to the headquarters of the Farmworker Association of Florida (FWAF), a community-based non-profit dedicated to protecting the rights of and seeking justice for farmworkers, as well as raising awareness of the issues faced by these laborers.
FWAF typically visits Tallahassee once a week during the legislative session to meet with legislators, share personal testimonies and experiences, and discuss bills that will impact the agricultural industry and its workers.
So far in 2025, legislation like HB 955, HB 1033, SB 782, and SB 1498 has been introduced, which would impose E-verify requirements upon all private employers within the state. FWAF has voiced serious concerns about these bills’ potential impact on agricultural labor, where there is already a shortage of workers.
Students after working within a community garden during FSU College of Law’s Alternative Spring Break program in Apopka, Florida.
In the poignant words of Leia Bamasi, an FSU College of Law student and participant in a recent Alternative Spring Break program hosted by FWAF: “There is purpose in protecting the most vulnerable, in informing the most marginalized, in helping each other.”
As a two-time participant in that program, I can attest that it only takes a few hours working in a greenhouse to understand that farmwork is very much skilled labor; it requires endurance, efficiency, and strength simultaneously. It is work that all Floridians should appreciate more consciously during this National Farmworker Awareness Week and throughout the rest of the year.
To learn more about these bills, you can visit flsenate.gov and flhouse.gov; for more information about Florida’s farmworkers or about getting involved in advocacy, you can visit floridafarmworkers.org.
Hannah Robinson
Hannah Robinson is a third-year law student at Florida State University College of Law. She participated in FSU Law’s Alternative Spring Break Program hosted by the Farmworker Association of Florida in 2023 and 2025 and served as the trip’s coordinator this year.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Send letters to the editor (up to 200 words) or Your Turn columns (about 500 words) to letters@tallahassee.com. Please include your address for verification purposes only, and if you send a Your Turn, also include a photo and 1-2 line bio of yourself. You can also submit anonymous Zing!s at Tallahassee.com/Zing. Submissions are published on a space-available basis. All submissions may be edited for content, clarity and length, and may also be published by any part of the USA TODAY NETWORK.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Respect the year-long value of farmworkers in Florida | Opinion
