ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A city on the First Coast is stepping into the conversation about employers providing staff breaks from the excessive heat.
This comes after Florida’s new law restricts what local governments can do when it comes to requiring breaks during the job. And now the federal government is approaching the topic too.
Augustine City Commissioner Barbara Blonder would like to see action happen at a local level.
"I want the city to be able to implement some policies that protect our workers," she told First Coast News.
Blonder is inquiring with the city’s attorney to see if the city can take steps to require water and rest breaks from the heat.
Some of those city employees include the archaeologists who work for the City of St. Augustine, who can spend several hours a day on a dig site outside.
Archaeologist Andrea White worked under a tent and inside a three-foot-deep hole in the ground Wednesday.
"We try to take as many precautions as we can," White noted. "We have water, Gatorade, fans, and tents."
At this this dig site, according to a mobile thermometer, the temperature was 99 degrees. The heat index was hovering around 117, even in the shade.
Blonder's inquiry to the city attorney comes after Florida’s new law that says local governments cannot force private businesses to provide rest or water breaks for their employees.
"I’m really disappointed that this state bill passed," she said.
This week, the federal government dug into the heat issue as well. It introduced a proposed set of rules that could override Florida's new law. The federal government's proposed rule would require employers establish rest breaks and provide shade and water for new workers.
As for St. Augustine, the city attorney told First Coast News the state law applies to private companies. But she says the city could create rules that provide breaks for city employees.
"I want us to be able to take protect our employees," Blonder said. "I don’t want them falling down on the job literally because the heat's too much."