Florida
Battle over migrant farmworker wages in Florida as farmers face rising costs
Migrant farmworker wages in Florida
Mark Wilson reports
TAMPA, Fla. – Criss-crossing the back roads of Florida, you’ll see just how fruitful the state is. Watermelons, peppers, corn and many more crops fill the landscape. Each one is unique, but the farmers who grow them share one growing problem: labor.
Their issue isn’t finding labor. It’s how much their labor force makes. The amount per hour that migrant farmworkers make may surprise you. The Florida state minimum wage is $12 per hour. The minimum wage for migrant farmworkers in Florida is $14.77.
The vast majority of farmworkers in Florida come through the federal H-2A program. It allows farmers to bring reliable foreign labor into the U.S. for seasonal work. In addition to paying the minimum wage set by the government, farmers are also required to pay for the workers’ transportation into the country and pay for housing.
Farmers like Matt Parke, of Parkesdale Farms, say those costs are starting to add up.
“There’s got to be a breaking point. Do I know what it is? We haven’t got there yet, but we’re getting close,” he said.
Florida has more H-2A workers than any other state in the U.S., topping 51,000. In the last four years, their minimum wage has increased 26%. Parke says that high cost takes a huge bite out of his profits.
We visited him recently and watched his workers pick through a field of peppers. He said he’d be lucky to break even on what they were picking that day.
“There’s days where we’re losing money by picking. I mean, that’s just how it goes.”
Labor cost isn’t an issue for just Florida farmers. Forty-five states and territories have a higher migrant minimum wage than Florida’s $14.77. California is the state with the highest at $19.75.
Senator Rick Scott is one of 16 senators across the country who recently signed a letter to congressional leaders requesting a freeze on the H-2A minimum wage.
“You don’t want to put yourself in a position that you can’t, as a farmer, you can’t compete globally. We’re in a global market, but we shouldn’t be increasing their costs,” he said.
“How cruel do you have to be? Especially, you know, with the wealth that senators themselves have and yet they have no hesitation to suppress wages of the people that feed us and who build this state in this country,” says Ernesto Ruiz with The Farmworker Association of Florida.
He thinks the $14.77 rate isn’t high enough.
“It’s brutal. It is grueling, grueling work. It is grueling work, and it carries a bunch of risks. And typically, in society, we tend to pay to some extent commensurate with risk.”
Another large part of the issue for farmers is competition south of the border. Wholesalers want to buy the cheapest food. Since a Mexican farmer has lower labor cost, they can afford to sell food for less.
Matt Parke says his workers make between $150 and $200 a day. In Mexico, farmworkers can make as little as $10 a day.
“When two thirds of my cost is labor, how do you compete with somebody that’s not even 15% of their cost as labor? I mean, how can I compete with that?” questions Parke.
At the current rate of increases, the H-2A minimum could be more than $20 an hour by 2026.
“Within the next three years, you’re going to see a lot less farmers out here than there is now,” says Parke.
His biggest fear? Some day you won’t be able to find any “Product of the U.S.” stickers in your produce department.
“That would be the great fall of the United States. We’re working that way though.”
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Less than a week from the qualifying deadline, 25 Florida House district races remain uncontested by one of the two major political parties.
That means each race has either only Democrats or Republicans running, with, in some cases, a third-party challenger with little to no shot of winning.
That arrangement is understandable in 80% of those contests, where one party has such an edge with the electorate that, for now, running candidates to flip those seats would be a waste of money and resources.
But in five House districts (two Republican-controlled, three Democrat-led), the voter divide is narrow enough that the absence of a challenger from the opposing party is eye-raising at best and confounding at worst.
They range from a district in Palm Beach County that sided with Kamala Harris in 2024 by just 1 percentage point, based on 2024 state presidential vote analyses by Matt Isbell of MCI Maps, to an Orange County district Harris won by 11 points.
That’s roughly the same margin by which President Donald Trump won in House District 87, which Jupiter Democratic Rep. Emily Gregory flipped in a national news-making March upset that has bolstered hopes of further such returns in November.
The other three races — set in Duval, Miami-Dade and Pinellas counties — have even smaller divides between Democrats and GOP voters. Yet none are contested.
Of four uncontested Senate races, just one — SD 36 in Miami-Dade County — is remotely close. Incumbent Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia is on track to win the seat she won in 2020 by 34 votes and kept two years later by 18 points.
Voters there picked Trump over Harris by a 16-point margin.
In a statement to Florida Politics, the Florida Democratic Party said that despite the gaps in winnable races, the organization has worked hard to identify “strong, quality candidates up and down the ballot who are willing to work hard for Floridians and create a state where we can all thrive.”
“The Florida Democratic Party (FDP) has spent the last several years investing in year-round organizing, and a part of that is candidate recruitment,” the group said. “Floridians across the state have raised their hand to run, with over 1,300 Democrats expressing a desire to learn more about running over the last 18 months.”
Republican Party of Florida Chair Evan Power, meanwhile, expressed confidence that his group will further grow its already supermajority share of the Legislature and threw shade across the aisle.
“Just like last year when (FDP Chair) Nikki Fried was worried about giving out participation trophies in every race, the Florida GOP remains focused on winning races. We know we will field quality candidates across Florida that will drive us to big victories,” he said in a statement. “The Florida Democrats are on the verge of extinction. Floridians have rejected the radical left agenda and we are confident that we will be on offense.”
The Primary Election is on Aug. 18, followed by the General Election.
Here are the House Districts with candidates from only one of the two major political parties running, as of Friday.
House District 12 — Republican-controlled
HD 12, which covers part of Jacksonville’s Westside and Southside, crossing the St. Johns River, went 10 points for Trump in 2024. Republican Wyman Duggan, the district’s current Representative, must leave office in November due to term limits, and former Jacksonville City Council President Terrance Freeman is running to keep it in GOP hands.
He’s the only person in the race.
House District 44 — Democrat-controlled
HD 44, which spans portions of Orange County, including Orlando and parts of the unincorporated areas of Hunters Creek, Meadow Woods, Sky Lake and Southchase, is a D+11 district, based on MCI Maps figures.
Democratic Rep. Rita Harris is seeking her third consecutive term in the district and, so far, no one is blocking her path to an easy re-election.
Harris, first elected in 2022, has yet to face a Republican on the ballot. Her only opponent in the past two cycles was former state Rep. Diasy Morales, whom she unseated by about 8.5 points and repelled with a whopping 65% share of the votes in a 2024 rematch.
House District 60 — Democrat-controlled
HD 60, a D+7 district, is getting a new Representative after incumbent Rep. Lindsay Cross announced that she will not seek re-election this year. The district covers a bay-facing portion of Pinellas County that includes parts of St. Petersburg and Pinellas Park, along with the communities of Feather Sound and Lealman and the neighborhood of Grande Bayou.
Lawyer Lindsay Polega-Quigley, a former Vice President of the St. Petersburg chapter of the League of Women Voters, filed to run for the seat within hours of Cross’ withdrawal and is thus far unopposed.
House District 89 — Democrat-controlled
In what would be the closest contest, if anyone else were to run, Democratic Rep. Debra Tendrich enjoys an unobstructed path to re-election in HD 89, a D+1 district that spans part of inland Palm Beach County, including Greenacres, Lake Clarke Shores, Lake Worth Beach and Palm Springs.
Tendrich, a nonprofit executive, won the seat in 2024 by a 2-point margin, keeping the seat previously held by Democrat David Silvers.
House District 114 — Republican-controlled
An R+10 district, HD 114 covers parts of Miami-Dade, including Coral Gables, Miami, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, South Miami and West Miami.
Republican Rep. Demi Busatta has held the seat since 2020, when its prior Democratic occupant, South Miami Mayor Javier Fernández, left for an unsuccessful Senate bid.
Busatta has proven popular among voters in past races, winning re-election in 2022 by almost 13 points and again in 2024 by 17 points after dwarfing her Democratic opponents in fundraising.
Other unchallenged races
There are 23 other uncontested state legislative races, including:
— Senate District 16 (D+26), which covers part of the Tampa Bay area including Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell and Democratic Rep. Michele Rayner are the only two candidates.
— Senate District 32 (D+39), an inland Broward County area that includes Fort Lauderdale, Lauderdale Lakes, Lauderhill, North Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Plantation, Sunrise and Tamarac. Incumbent Sen. Rosalind Osgood currently faces one opponent, no-party candidate Crescente Furnaguera.
— Senate District 34 (D+39), which covers parts of north Miami-Dade, including Bay Harbour Islands, Miami Beach, Miami Gardens, North Miami, North Miami Beach and Opa-locka. The district’s current representative, Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones, is leaving to run for Congress, and just one candidate, Miami Democratic Rep. Ashley Gantt, has filed to succeed him.
— House District 7 (R+54), which covers a large Panhandle area including Dixie, Franklin, Gulf, Hamilton, Lafayette, Liberty, Suwannee and Wakulla counties, and a southern portion of Leon County. Incumbent Republican Rep. Jason Shoaf faces no opposition.
— House District 8 (D+42), which spans all of Gadsden County and part of Leon County. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Gallop Franklin faces Independent Party of Florida candidate Aaron Ruddell.
— House District 13 (D+24), which covers a northeast portion of Duval County. The all-Democrat field includes former Sen. Audrey Gibson and candidates Brandon Groover, Leslie Jean-Bart and Christopher Thomas.
— House District 14 (D+25.5), which covers part of Duval County. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Kimberly Daniels faces two Primary challengers: Elgin Foreman and Rhian Tutson.
— House District 24 (R+28), which covers a southeast portion of Marion County. Incumbent Republican Rep. Ryan Chamberlin faces Primary challenger Scott Wilkins.
— House District 27 (R+37), which spans parts of Lake, Marion and Volusia counties. Republican Rep. Richard Gentry is unopposed in his re-election bid.
— House District 40 (D+35), which covers an unincorporated swath of Orange County, including the Riverside Acres neighborhood and census-designated areas of Lockhart, Pine Hills and Rosemont. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Ra’Shon Young is unopposed.
— House District 56 (R+27.5), which covers a coastal stretch of Pasco County encompassing New Port Richey and the census-designated areas of Bayonet Point, Beacon Square, Elfers, Jasmine Estates and Holiday. Incumbent Republican Rep. Brad Yeager has no opponent.
— House District 62 (D+34), which covers part of Pinellas County, including St. Petersburg, and a portion of Hillsborough County, including Tampa and the unincorporated Gibsonton area. Democrats Kyandra Darling, Upton Fisher and Wengay Newton are competing to succeed Rayner.
— House District 63 (D+41), which covers much of inland Hillsborough, including Temple Terrace, the census-designated area of Harney and Tampa’s Sulphur Springs, West Tampa and Ybor City neighborhoods. Democrats Jacqueline Coffie-Leeks, Robin Lockett and Conrad Schupay are running to replace outgoing Rep. Dianne Hart-Lowman..
— House District 68 (R+29), which covers a northeast portion of Hillsborough, including Plant City and the unincorporated Shiloh and Valrico areas. Republican Ryan Gill is the only candidate in the race to succeed Rep. Lawrence McClure, who has endorsed Gill.
— House District 96 (D+19), which covers west Broward. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Dan Daley, who briefly considered a Senate District 30 bid, faces no opposition.
— House District 97 (D+52), which covers part of Broward, including Lauderdale Lakes, Lauderhill, North Lauderdale and the Sabal Palms Estates and Sunrise Heights neighborhoods. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Lisa Dunkley is unopposed.
— House District 98 (D+30), which covers part of Broward, including Oakland Park and unincorporated Lakeview and North Andrews Gardens. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Mitch Rosenwald faces Primary challenger Keith Abel.
— House District 99 (D+44), which covers part of Broward, including Fort Lauderdale, Lauderhill, Plantation and Wilton Manors. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Daryl Campbell faces no opposition.
— House District 104 (D+28), which covers a southern part of Broward, including Miramar and Pembroke Pines, and part of Miami-Dade County, including Miami Gardens. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Felicia Robinson is unopposed.
— House District 105 (D+27), which covers part of south Broward County, including Hollywood and West Park. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Marie Woodson faces no opposition.
— House District 110 (R+40), which covers part of northwest Miami-Dade County, including Miami Lakes. Incumbent Republican Rep. Tom Fabricio is unopposed.
— House District 111 (R+35.5), which covers part of northwest Miami-Dade County, including Doral, Hialeah and Hialeah Gardens. Incumbent Republican Rep. David Borrero faces no opposition.
— House District 112 (R+45), which covers part of Miami-Dade County, including Hialeah and Miami International Airport. Incumbent Republican Rep. Alex Rizo, the immediate past Miami-Dade GOP chair, is unopposed.
___
Jacob Ogles contributed to this report.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – Construction is starting on a historical preservation project at the Florida Theater in Gainesville.
Company leaders posted photos of railings around the building this week.
The downtown venue originally opened in 1928 but hasn’t been open for several years.
Last year, city commissioners agreed to spend $40,000 to preserve the historic property.
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A man claiming to be a “sovereign citizen” was arrested at a Fort Pierce Walmart after allegedly threatening staff and refusing to leave.
A “sovereign citizen,” who claimed to have renounced his U.S. citizenship, allegedly threatened an employee at a Walmart and refused to leave, Fort Pierce police said.
Eddie Rodriguez, 34, was arrested on a trespassing charge June 4 after refusing to leave the property when asked, according to an arrest affidavit. He was transported to St. Lucie County Jail.
Fort Pierce police officers arrived 9:14 p.m. at Walmart.
Rodriguez caused a disturbance after believing he was being followed by a Walmart loss prevention employee, according to the affidavit.
Fort Pierce Police arrest Walmart shopper accused of wielding machete
Fort Pierce Police arrest Walmart shopper accused of wielding a machete Aug. 30, 2025.
The employee, who was unidentified in the affidavit, told police he was doing his normal walks on the sales floor, the affidavit said.
The employee claimed Rodriguez, who is homeless, made threats and was armed with a weapon, although police recovered no weapon during the arrest, according to the affidavit.
The employee declined to press charges regarding the threats, the affidavit said.
Jack Randall is TCPalm’s economy and real estate reporter. You can reach him at jack.randall@tcpalm.com.
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