Florida Workers' Compensation

Under Chapter 440 (Fla. Stat. § 440.02), coverage thresholds differ by industry: construction at 1+ employee, non-construction at 4+, and agriculture at 6 regular or 12 seasonalworkers. The system is no-fault and administered by the Division of Workers' Compensation (Department of Financial Services).

Carrying coverage gives the employer tort immunity— workers' comp is the exclusive remedy (§ 440.11). The only escape is a narrow statutory intentional-tort exception: the employee must show the employer either deliberately intended to injure, or engaged in conduct it knew was virtually certain to cause injury and concealed the danger — a very high bar (Turner v. PCR; Gorham).

Fla. Stat. § 440.205 prohibits firing or coercing an employee for filing or attempting to file a workers'-comp claim (Scott v. Otis Elevator). Florida also uniquely requires public and private employers with 20+ employees to maintain a workplace safety committee (§ 442.012).

Confirm your coverage obligation against the industry threshold and keep proof of insurance, report and administer injuries promptly, never discipline near a claim without a documented independent reason, and remember private-sector safety enforcement is federal OSHA.