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New Florida immigration law may hurt state’s construction industry

ORLANDO, Fla. — Editor’s note: This story is available as a result of a content partnership between WFTV and the Orlando Business Journal.

Florida businesses already are facing a skilled labor shortage — and now a new state law has the potential to exacerbate it.

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Gov. Ron DeSantis last week signed Senate Bill 1718 requiring all employers with more than 25 employees to use E-Verify, the federal government’s online tool to verify work eligibility, starting this summer. Contractors and subcontractors bidding on a public project must do the same.

Businesses must repay any economic development incentives from the state if they knowingly employ an unauthorized immigrant without verifying their eligibility.

Click here to read the full story on the Orlando Business Journal’s website.

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