Miami-Dade County Heat Ordinance

Our industry is facing a game changing vote at the Miami-Dade County Commission on November 7th. Commissioners will be considering the passage of a Miami-Dade County Heat Ordinance and the creation of a Miami-Dade County version of OSHA – creating an army of inspectors able to come onto your jobsite at any time and issue fines without recourse.

Why are They Doing This?

The Miami-Dade County Heat Ordinance is based on a false narrative that agriculture and construction employers abuse employees and deprive them of water, shade, and rest opportunities in extreme heat working environments: click here for current ordinance language: Miami-Dade County Heat Ordinance Substitute.

The goal of this ordinance is to establish Miami-Dade County’s own OSHA or “Heat Police,” which is mentioned in the Financial Impact Statement attached to the ordinance. As currently written this ordinance places no limits on how the Heat Police would be able to access your jobsites, does not create a minimum hiring standard for inspectors, and the ordinance does not establish a system for contesting violations or fine amounts - stripping contractors of due process. To see a presentation on the Heat Ordinance from the perspective of a safety professional please click here: 2nd Wednesday Safety Session August 2023.

Who Are We Fighting?

This Heat Ordinance is not about workers, it is about empowering labor organizations who want to expand their footprint in South Florida. Labor group WeCount! has been the face of this effort but they are supported by the Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA!), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and are working in coordination with the Miami-Dade County Office of Resilience. You can hear for yourself by clicking here: Heat Ordinance Sunshine Meeting. These groups are using a template which proved successful in Texas, where they got Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio to adopt Break Ordinances which were used to hurt non-union contractors. Read about it here: Texas Construction Watch.

What Can You Do?

Make Calls to County Commission offices!

The call will be short all you need to say is:
- I am calling to ask the commissioner to VOTE NO ON THE HEAT ORDINACE. This ordinance will hurt small and medium sized construction companies.
  - You may be asked for your name and whether you are a Miami-Dade County resident.
  - If you are not a resident, and are asked if you are, please say, “I am not a resident, but I and my company work in Miami-Dade County.”
Please ask others to make calls as well! Forward this email onto as many people as possible.
If you made calls ahead of the anticipated vote in October, I am asking you to call again!
Commission contact info is below. (can they click this to go to the bottom where contact info is?)

Get active on your keyboard!

Send an email to every member of the Miami-Dade County Commission
Most important part of the email is the title. Make it clear you want the commissioner to vote NO.
- Vote NO on HEAT ORDINACE
- Say NO to HEAT ORDINANCE
Keep the text of the email down to one paragraph.
- Please vote NO on the Heat Ordinance. The Heat Ordinance will hurt our businesses by creating another bureaucracy in Miami-Dade County. Our industry cares for its workers and OSHA already requires us to address heat on jobsites. Vote No and protect our industry.
Commission contact info is below.
Please sign this on-line petition: https://bit.ly/SaveMiamiJobs

Show up on November 7th!

BE SEEN: The hearing begins at 9:30 am. The labor groups we are fighting will have a visible presence at the commission meeting and we must do the same. If you could join us from 8-10 am it would be appreciated. Let us know you can join us by clicking here: https://bit.ly/AGCShowsUp. The Stephen P. Clark Center is in downtown Miami close to the Metro Rail and Metro Mover. We will provide details on exactly where we will be meeting to those who sign up.
BE HEARD: We need members willing to speak at the hearing. Your comments will be limited to two-minutes (or less), and we will assist you with your comments. You should plan to be on hand from 8:30 am to 11 am. Click here if you will testify: Speaker Info- Heat Ordinance.

Spread the word!

Educate other members of our industry by telling them about this ordinance and its impact on our industry. Share a link to this webpage so they too can join our efforts.

Let’s Go!

Once Miami-Dade County’s administration has their Safety and Health Department set up, Heat will be the first of many issues they will use to negatively impact South Florida’s Construction and Agriculture industries. FIGHT BACK! Calls, emails, educating others, and attendance on November 7th will have a direct impact on our success. Please set aside some time to pick up the phone and educate Commissioners and your colleagues on these issues. We ask you to also set aside some time to join us on November 7th. Let’s stop radical labor groups from hurting our businesses. Let’s make our voices heard.
You can also assist our efforts by contributing to our Industry Education Initiative. Your financial contribution will go into fighting this overreach at the county commission, by lobbying for preemption at the state level, and by preparing for a legal challenge. Members who contribute to our effort will receive insider updates on our progress throughout our battle to defeat this ordinance. To contribute, click here: Industry Education Initiative.

Elected Officials

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava
[email protected]
305-375-5071

Chairperson Oliver Gilbert
[email protected]
305-375-5694

Vice Chairperson Anthony Rodriguez
[email protected]
305-375-4835

Commissioner Marlene Bastien
[email protected]
305-375-4833

Commissioner Keon Hardemon
[email protected]
305-375-5393

Commissioner Mickey Steinberg
[email protected]
305-375-5128

Commissioner Eileen Higgins
[email protected]
305-375-5924

Commissioner Kevin Cabrera
[email protected]
305-267-6377

Commissioner Raquel Regalado
[email protected]
305-375-5680

Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins
[email protected]
305-375-5218

Commissioner Kionne McGhee
[email protected]
305-375-4832

Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez
[email protected]
305-375-5511

Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez
[email protected]
305-375-4343

Commissioner Rene Garcia
[email protected]
305-375-4831