Florida eyes penalties for employers of undocumented migrants hurt on the job

February 10, 2026

Florida lawmakers have filed a bill to penalize companies employing undocumented immigrants who get hurt on the job, months after a Tampa Bay Times investigation revealed a state contractor has relied on migrant labor for years with deadly consequences.

Senate Bill 1380 would require employers who knowingly hire people not authorized to work in the United States to pay for those workers’ medical bills if they get hurt.

It would do so by making those companies “personally and fully liable” for the medical expenses and prohibiting them from trying to “shift financial responsibility” by having an “insurance company, a state agency, or any other entity” pay for treatment. If an employer violates those rules, they could lose their business license in Florida and pay a fine of up to $50,000.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, also sets fines for companies that knowingly hire undocumented immigrants.

“We’ve done so much to go after the individuals breaking the law on the employee side, and we know there’s reasons why people break the law. Many people come here that want a better life,” Martin said. “What we can’t have are some (employers) ... that are taking shortcuts because they’re willing to break the law.”

Martin confirmed that the bill would apply to state contractors.

Its language came from Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, who in December declared the bill one of his top priorities for the 2026 legislative session. Neither Ingoglia nor his spokesperson responded to texts, calls and emails over two weeks asking if any parts of the bill were proposed in response to the Times’ reporting.

“If you have somebody break an arm and it’s going to cost them $20,000, why should the workers’ comp system — why should other businesses and other employees have to pay for that, when you’re the one breaking the law by hiring them in the first place?” Ingoglia said at the news conference.

In an investigation published in October, the Times revealed that state road-builder Archer Western saw eight of its workers die from 2016 to 2023. In a series of incidents, men were crushed by heavy equipment, hit by cars and drowned after falling off a barge. The deaths meant the company had a fatality rate more than double the construction industry average. At least three of the men who died were undocumented.

Archer Western workers also suffered serious injuries during this period — including a skull fracture, punctured lung and four separate instances of finger amputations — though its workers reported fewer injuries than the industry average. Workplace safety experts said undocumented workers are more likely to underreport injuries.

Despite its alarming record, the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantishas awarded Archer Western and its partners nearly $1.6 billion in contracts, continuing to pay the company even after state officials acknowledged two of the deaths in court. Florida officials, including DeSantis, have defended the state’s relationship with Archer Western, saying the company followed the correct hiring procedures. The company has said safety is a “foundational value.”

Depending on how many undocumented employees a company knowingly hires, it could have its business license suspended or revoked by the state under this bill. Hiring more than 50 people in the country without legal status would be a third-degree felony.