Index
Employment & LaborFlorida, USA

Florida E-Verify & Immigration Law (SB 1718)

Summary

One of the toughest immigration laws in the country, SB 1718 forces private businesses to use the federal E-Verify system and invalidates out-of-state driver's licenses issued to undocumented immigrants.

Rights & Rules

  • 01.
    If a private employer in Florida has 25 or more employees, they MUST use the federal E-Verify system to check the legal work status of every new hire.
  • 02.
    If an undocumented immigrant has a legally issued driver's license from a state that provides them (like New York or California), that license is officially INVALID in the state of Florida.
  • 03.
    Hospitals that accept Medicaid MUST ask patients about their immigration status on intake forms, though the patient can decline to answer.
  • 04.
    It is a felony to knowingly transport an undocumented immigrant into the State of Florida across state lines.

Penalties

  • 01.
    Employers who fail to use E-Verify face daily fines of $1,000 and the suspension of all their state business licenses until they comply.

Verified Citations

Florida Statutes Section 448.095

Source
"A private employer with 25 or more employees must use the E-Verify system to verify a new employee's employment eligibility... An employer may not continue to employ an unauthorized alien..."