South Florida Sun-Sentinel

May 13, 2005

Farm workers bypassed on legislation for housing, safety needs

By Sandra Hernandez
Staff Writer

Farm workers lost their bid to get two key bills passed that would have saved lives on the state's highways and repaired housing lost to hurricanes last year.

"I don't think anything was done for farm workers this year," said Rep. Susan Bucher, D-West Palm Beach, who supported the bills.

One measure that failed would have required seat belts for all passengers in vans used to drive farm workers to fields.

Transportation-related accidents were the leading cause of death for migrant workers in Florida, according to an Associated Press study done last year in Florida. Last year, 11 people died in accidents involving crowded minivans carrying laborers.

For farm workers such as Faustino Barrios, the change would have had an immediate effect. "We often ride in the back of the trucks, sometimes with equipment or crates, and it's a bit unstable," said Barrios, who is currently harvesting cucumbers in Immokalee.

Legislators also eliminated from a $208 million hurricane housing bill funding that would have helped migrants who lost their homes in last year's storms. Many workers are ineligible for any other help, including federal housing assistance, because they are undocumented immigrants. Gov. Jeb Bush's Hurricane Housing Work Group had recommended $20 million to rebuild farm worker housing lost to Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Jeanne and Ivan. In addition it suggested $20.5 million to help the elderly and handicapped.

State Sen. Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie, drafted the amendment that eliminated the funding for both migrants and special needs. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel was unable to reach Pruitt for comment.

Bush's office declined to comment until it receives an official copy of the budget, according to spokesman Russell Schweiss.

Advocates and growers feared a looming housing shortage could keep some workers away from Florida in November when the harvest begins.

"I think its ironic the state Legislature invested in trying to solve the citrus canker problem, but what if there is no one there to harvest it?" said Steve Kirk, a member of the task force and president of the of Everglades Community Association, a nonprofit housing developer in Homestead. "If you don't have a place to live, there might not be anyone to pick the fruit."

Growers associations such as Mike Carlton of the Lakeland-based Florida Citrus Mutual also said they feared it could disrupt the harvest. The trade group has more than 10,000 members.

"Our ability to meet the national food supply is a security issue," Carlton said. "This segment of the population is critical to providing that domestic food supply."

The state's farm worker population is estimated to be around 150,000 during peak harvest season, according to the Migrant Farmworker Justice Project, a Tallahassee-based advocacy group.

The exact amount of housing stock destroyed is unknown, especially for migrants who often live in overcrowded trailers and apartments. But in De Soto, Hardee, St. Lucie and Indian River counties, at least 1,000 units were ruined, according to advocates.

Barrios said some friends were leaving Florida. "People are talking about just going north. I know some people with families don't want to risk not finding anything, so they are leaving," Barrios said.