(1) It shall be unlawful for any person knowingly to employ, hire, recruit, or refer, either for herself or himself or on behalf of another, for private or public employment within the state, an alien who is not duly authorized to work by the immigration laws or the Attorney General of the United States.
(2) The first violation of subsection (1) shall be a noncriminal violation as defined in s. 775.08(3) and, upon conviction, shall be punishable as provided in s. 775.082(5) by a civil fine of not more than $500, regardless of the number of aliens with respect to whom the violation occurred. (3) Any person who has been previously convicted for a violation of subsection (1) and who thereafter violates subsection (1), shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. Any such subsequent violation of this section shall constitute a separate offense with respect to each unauthorized alien. 1Note.—Section 6, ch. 2023-40, amended s. 448.09, effective July 1, 2024, to read:448.09 Unauthorized aliens; employment prohibited.—
(1) It is unlawful for any person to knowingly employ, hire, recruit, or refer, either for herself or himself or on behalf of another, for private or public employment within this state, an alien who is not duly authorized to work by the immigration laws of the United States, the Attorney General of the United States, or the United States Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
(2) If the Department of Economic Opportunity finds or is notified by an entity specified in s. 448.095(3)(a) that an employer has knowingly employed an unauthorized alien without verifying the employment eligibility of such person, the department must enter an order pursuant to chapter 120 making such determination and require repayment of any economic development incentive pursuant to s. 288.061(6).
(3) For a violation of this section, the department shall place the employer on probation for a 1-year period and require that the employer report quarterly to the department to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of subsection (1) and s. 448.095.
(4) Any violation of this section which takes place within 24 months after a previous violation constitutes grounds for the suspension or revocation of all licenses issued by a licensing agency subject to chapter 120. The department shall take the following actions for a violation involving:
(a) One to ten unauthorized aliens, suspension of all applicable licenses held by a private employer for up to 30 days by the respective agencies that issued them.
(b) Eleven to fifty unauthorized aliens, suspension of all applicable licenses held by a private employer for up to 60 days by the respective agencies that issued them.
(c) More than fifty unauthorized aliens, revocation of all applicable licenses held by a private employer by the respective agencies that issued them.
(5) An alien who is not duly authorized to work by the immigration laws of the United States, the Attorney General of the United States, or the United States Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and who knowingly uses a false identification document or who fraudulently uses an identification document of another person for the purpose of obtaining employment commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
