Governor signs bill on teen work rules

Jim Turner News Service Florida On Friday, March 22, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a measure that will ease decades-old regulations on the hours that 16- and 17-year-old Floridians can work. The bill (HB 49), one of 25 signed Friday by DeSantis, was toned down in the waning days of this year’s legislative session but still drew concerns about the impact of longer work hours on students’ studies and the potential use of teens to address labor shortages. But proponents countered that the bill, backed by groups such as the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB)-Florida, would provide flexibility in standards imposed in 1986 b