Here's what immigration crackdowns mean for Florida's workforce [View all]

Fidel Sanchez remembers how hard things got after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law tightening restrictions on immigration in 2023. Out of nearly 80 workers and their families who used to work on his Plant City strawberry and vegetable farm, eight stayed.

“I’ve seen it with my own eyes,” said Sanchez, who has been growing in Plant City for more than 25 years. “Honestly, it doesn’t make sense, because we need local workers to harvest the crops.”

With President Donald Trump’s administration promising mass deportations and zero-tolerance immigration policies, Sanchez fears an even greater labor shortage is on the horizon. Without local workers, Sanchez depends on temporary migrant laborers, a visa program known as H-2A. The program allows employers to bring foreign laborers to perform agricultural work in the U.S.

This year, Sanchez is paying subcontractors $23 an hour for each worker they bring from Mexico on a temporary labor visa, about 44% more than the previous rate of $16. He believes the political landscape is linked to the rise in rates.

“The impact has been severe, and it costs me more,” Sanchez said.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/2025/02/20/heres-what-immigration-crackdowns-mean-floridas-workforce/