← Back to the libraryCivic win · Community safetyFlorida, USA · 2025
Florida Temp Worker Bill Killed
Beyond the Bars, a Miami-based worker center run by and for formerly incarcerated people, defeated Florida HB 6033 in spring 2025 — a bill that would have stripped health and safety protections from day laborers and temp workers, people who show up as early as 3 a.m. to earn $70-80 a day. Member-leaders testified directly to senators at the Capitol. A Senate committee shelved the bill in April 2025. The Orlando Sentinel called it "a rare and surprising victory in Tallahassee."
The playbook- Put directly impacted people at the front of testimony. Not staff, not lawyers — Davonte, a temp worker and member, spoke to senators himself.
- Make the human cost specific and vivid. Not "this bill is harmful" but "these workers show up at 3 a.m. to earn $70 and you want to take their chair."
- Target the committee, not the full chamber. Killing a bill in committee is faster, requires fewer votes, and is a real win.
- Lead with the org's track record. Beyond the Bars had already eliminated $100M in jail debt — they weren't unknown, and that credibility mattered.
Planted by Revel Creator JZ · featured May 21, 2026