Florida lawmakers are trying to legalize child exploitation and we have to stop it.

Under a bill backed by Governor Ron DeSantis, 14- and 15-year-olds could soon be forced to work unlimited hours, including overnight shifts, even on school nights. Breaks? Not required. Days off? Optional. This bill would erase basic protections for children all because Florida deported the immigrant workers who once filled these jobs.

Now they want our kids to replace them.

This isn’t about “building character” or part-time work experience. This is about using children to solve a crisis caused by cruel, anti-immigrant policies. It’s about big businesses getting cheap labor by gutting child protections. And it’s about a government willing to risk kids’ safety to cover for its political choices.

We call on Florida lawmakers to reject this dangerous rollback of child labor protections. No child should be working overnight instead of going to school. No parent should have to choose between their child’s health and a paycheck. And no government should ever treat kids as a backup labor force.

Let kids be kids. Stop this bill now.