September 28, 2004

Many Florida employers were startled during Hurricane Frances (which now counts as two hurricanes ago for the battered state) when Dade county/city state's attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and Mayor Alex Penales "publicly warned employers that they could face criminal prosecution for forcing employees to work" during the hurricane. Employers in such lines as retail, hospitality and waste management -- all of which, of course, play important roles in affording help to hurricane victims -- "wanted to know whether they really could be arrested for requiring employees to come to work during the storm." Employment lawyers are hoping the state legislature clarifies the issue before next hurricane season.