Organizing Florida: New Union Organizing and Union Election Results (May 2025)
Catch up on new organizing in Florida, feat. divers at SeaWorld's Discovery Cove, drivers for United Natural Foods Inc, teachers in small-town rural Florida, and more.
Caring Class Revolt is a 100% reader-supported publication. And full disclosure, it’s a side project of mine that I work on outside of my full-time job as a local news reporter. I launched this Substack because I care about documenting news affecting Florida’s labor movement that otherwise goes under- or unreported. If you appreciate posts like this, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber and/or sharing this publication with others.
Florida, like other states in the South, is regularly dismissed as a “non-union” state, where decades of anti-union policies, and deep-rooted corporate and political resistance to unions have stunted and degraded the labor movement’s power.
Only about 6% of workers in Florida even have union representation, and just 5% are dues-paying union members — below the national average. But new organizing does happen here in the Sunshine State, maybe more often than you’d think.
In order to file a petition for a union election, at least 30% of workers need to sign what are known as showing-of-interest cards demonstrating their support for unionization (generally, organizers shoot for a higher percentage, in case the employer tries to water down support for the union ahead of the election). Unions can also seek certification through a voluntary recognition/card-check process, which requires showing that a majority (more than 50%) of workers support unionization.
Here’s a rundown of new organizing drives that launched last month and union election results:
This roundup is inspired by Jonah Furman’s retired Who Gets the Bird? newsletter (RIP) and The Valley Labor Report’s weekly roundup of new organizing, election results, and labor updates across the U.S. South.
ORGANIZING IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR
15 HVAC techs, electricians, and plumbers employed by Swire Properties at the Brickell City Centre in Miami, FL filed a petition to unionize with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 30.
16 baristas and shift supervisors employed by Starbucks in Tampa, FL filed a petition to unionize with Starbucks Workers United.
27 inventory control workers employed by United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) in Miami and Pompano Beach, FL filed a petition to unionize with the Teamsters Local 769.
So, too, have 7 quality associates employed by UNFI in Pompano Beach, FL.
ELECTION RESULTS
Gathered from the National Labor Relations Board:
Dive technicians, senior divers, lead divers, and maintenance divers employed by Discovery Cove, a SeaWorld-affiliated resort in Orlando, FL, unanimously voted 15 to 0 in favor of unionizing with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 30, out of 15 eligible voters (representing 100% voter turnout).
Going deeper: This victory for the union came despite stall tactics deployed by United Parks & Resorts, the parent company of Discovery Cove. Read more about the organizing drive in my story for Orlando Weekly.
Van operators employed by ProKel Mobility in Jacksonville, FL voted 6 to 18 against unionization with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, out of 29 eligible voters.
Going deeper: The NLRB lists an attorney for Littler Mendelson (a notoriously anti-union law firm) and James Monica of the American Labor Relations Group as the employer’s legal representatives. The American Labor Relations Group is a consulting firm that specializes in “union avoidance.” Such firms are required under the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act to disclose to the federal Office of Labor Management Standards (OLMS) any agreements they enter into with employers if they’re being contracted to directly “persuade employees” against unionization. I don’t see any report filed with OLMS, however, and it’s unclear to me whether Monica directly interacted with the workers. According to OLMS records, the American Labor Relations Group has been contracted in the past by employers such as Sam Adams, which paid Monica’s firm more than $100,000 in 2023 to convince employees not to unionize with the Teamsters Local 773 in Pennsylvania.
More than 230 warehouse workers employed by United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) in Pompano Beach and Miami, FL voted “overwhelmingly” to join the Teamsters Local 769, according to a press release from the union.
Going deeper: As the union points out, UNFI is the largest wholesale distributor for Whole Foods, which is owned by Amazon (an employer that has poured millions of dollars into combating unionization efforts). Teamsters across UNFI facilities in Florida, Georgia, and Illinois recently ratified first contracts, “including an $8 an hour raise, Teamsters health care, a defined benefit pension plan, seniority protections, and additional paid time off,” per the union.
ORGANIZING IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
Obtained through public records requests submitted to the state Public Employees Relations Commission:
Teachers employed by Jefferson County Schools in Monticello, FL have filed a petition to unionize with the Jefferson County Education Association. Out of 56 eligible employees, 35 have already signed cards in support of unionization.
Going deeper: Jefferson County teachers appear to be some of the few K-12 teachers in Florida who don’t have union representation. Or, they haven’t for years — not since Florida saw its first private takeover of a public school system in Jefferson, through which all public schools were converted to charters (that experiment has since failed, and the charters school company abandoned Jefferson in 2022). According to public records, teachers first unionized with the JCEA in 1975, but saw their union decertified in 2019 following the passage of a union-busting bill signed by then-Gov. Rick Scott in 2018. The bill required teachers unions specifically to maintain a dues-paying membership of at least 50% of the employees they represent, and also required the teachers’ unions to re-register with the state annually or face decertification. According to PERC, the union did not renew its registration (which eventually expired) and did not respond to a request to show cause for why it failed to do so.
Communications operators, patrolmen, and sergeants employed by the Alachua Police Department in Alachua, FL filed a petition to unionize with the Florida Police Benevolent Association. Out of 23 eligible employees, all 23 have already signed cards in support of unionization, per the union’s petition.
Police lieutenants employed by the State Department of Management Services in Tallahassee, FL have filed a petition to unionize with the Florida Police Benevolent Association. Out of 346 eligible employees, 116 have already signed cards in support of unionization.
Deputy sheriffs employed by the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office in Vero Beach, FL have filed a petition to unionize with the Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association. Out of 130 eligible employees, 66 have already signed cards in support of unionization.
Police sergeants for the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office in Vero Beach, FL similarly filed a petition to unionize with the Palm Beach County PBA. Out of 17 eligible employees, 10 have already signed cards in support of unionization.
Even more, corrections deputies employed by the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office in Vero Beach, FL also filed a petition in May to unionize with the Palm Beach County PBA. So have corrections sergeants and corrections lieutenants (so, five proposed bargaining units altogether).
Going deeper: All five groups of employees for the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office are already represented by the International Union of Police Associations. The filing of these petitions means at least a cohort of these employees wish to replace the union they currently have with the PBA.
Firefighters, firetruck drivers, engineers, fire lieutenants, and battalion chiefs employed by Lynn Haven Fire & Emergency Services in Lynn Haven, FL have filed a petition to unionize with the Lynn Haven Professional Fire Fighters, Local 5513 of the International Association of Fire Fighters. According to a petition I obtained through a records request, there are 24 employees in the proposed bargaining unit; however, the petitioner (the union) failed to disclose how many employees have submitted signed cards in support of unionization.
Going deeper: I can’t find record of any other city employee union in Lynn Haven, meaning (from what I can tell) this would be the very first group of workers to form a union in the Lynn Haven city government, if the unionization effort proceeds. According to the union, fire employees first began organizing in May 2024. “We are not interested in disrupting the day to day operations of the fire department but to give the individuals that matter most to the fire service a voice that will be heard on all matters pertaining to employment, safety, hours, and wages,” the union wrote in a Facebook post.
Police officers, detectives, and sergeants employed by the city of Belleair, FL have filed a petition to unionize with the Sun Coast Police Benevolent Association (PBA), which would effectively displace their current union. Out of 21 employees who are eligible to join the union, at least 14 have already signed cards in support of unionization.
Going deeper: This unionization effort comes after (one of) the police officers’ former unions, the Pinellas County Police Benevolent Association (a ghost union that isn’t currently registered with the state) filed a petition last May to “disclaim interest” in continuing to represent the officers. Incredibly, the petition was dismissed by PERC because, as the Commission points out, the union’s certification was already revoked more than 30 years ago, when workers voted to decertify the union back in 1994. Records show officers subsequently unionized with the Pinellas Lodge No. 43 of the Fraternal Order of Police a few years later through voluntary recognition and are currently covered by a union contract that expires Sept. 30, 2025.
Fire captains, emergency medical technicians, and battalion chiefs employed by the Panama City Beach Fire Department filed a petition to unionize with the Panama City Beach Firefighters Association, Local 5471 of the International Association of Fire Fighters. Out of 6 employees eligible for the bargaining unit, at least 3 have already signed cards in support of unionization.
Rank-and-file firefighters, paramedics, and fire lieutenants employed by the Panama City Beach Fire Department have also filed a petition to unionize with the Panama City Beach Firefighters Association, Local 5471 of the International Association of Fire Fighters. Out of 47 employees eligible for the bargaining unit, at least 37 have already signed cards in support of unionization.
The Sanford Professional Fire Fighters, Local 3996 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, filed a petition to add fire protection inspectors employed by the Sanford Fire Department in Sanford, FL to an existing bargaining unit of rank-and-file firefighters, paramedics, and fire lieutenants.
Going deeper: A hearing officer from PERC, however, has issued an order proposing that they make this a “unit clarification” case instead. This way, the bargaining unit would just be amended to add the fire protection inspectors, rather than forcing PERC to conduct an election. Hearing officer Alyssa Lathrop writes, “handling this matter as a unit clarification petition would be more expeditious and without cost since an election would be avoided.”
Firefighters, engineers, captains, fire prevention lieutenants, and fire prevention captains employed by the Destin Fire Control District in Destin, FL have filed a petition to unionize with the Emerald Coast Professional Firefighters Association, Local 2601 (a.k.a.the Fort Walton Beach Professional Firefighters?) of the International Association of Fire Fighters, which would displace their current union. Out of 38 employees eligible for the bargaining unit, at least 32 have already signed cards in support of unionization.
Going deeper: According to the petition filed, these city employees are already represented by the Destin Fire Fighters Local 3158 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, and have an existing union contract in place that doesn’t expire until Sept. 30, 2025. It’s interesting that one IAFF local would raid another, but if it’s not strictly prohibited by the international, so it goes, I guess…
ELECTION RESULTS
Gathered from the state Public Employees Relations Commission
New organizing
Battalion chiefs employed by the Naples Fire Department in Naples, FL voted 5 to 0 in favor of unionizing with the Professional Firefighters of Naples union, out of 5 eligible voters.
Police officers and sergeants employed by the Wildwood Police Department in Wildwood, FL voted to decertify their existing union, affiliated with the Sun Coast Police Benevolent Association, and rebuffed an attempt to displace their former union with the Florida State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).
The final tally was 0 votes for unionizing with the FOP (the petitioner), 9 votes for sticking with the Sun Coast PBA (which had already disclaimed interest in continuing to represent the employees), and 12 votes for ‘no union.’
Police officers and sergeants employed by the Mascotte Police Department in Mascotte, FL unanimously voted 14 to 0 in favor of unionizing with the Florida Police Benevolent Association, out of 14 eligible voters.
Union recertification
Teachers, media specialists, and school counselors employed by the school district of Indian River County in Vero Beach, FL voted 439 to 18 in favor of *recertifying the Indian River County Education Association as their union, out of 1,033 eligible voters.
Non-instructional staff employed by the Osceola County school district in Kissimmee, FL voted 315 to 14 in favor of recertifying the Osceola County Education Association as their union, out of 1,650 eligible voters.
School bus assistants, grounds workers, secretaries, and other non-instructional staff employed by the Lake County school district in Tavares, FL voted 275 to 45 in favor of recertifying the Service Employees International Union-Florida Public Sector Union (SEIU-FPSU) as their union, out of 2,201 eligible voters.
Teachers, media specialists, psychologists and others employed by Lake County Schools in Tavares, FL voted 709 to 37 in favor of recertifying the Lake County Education Association as their union, out of 2985 eligible voters.
School bus attendants, food service workers, maintenance and other non-instructional staff employed by the St. Johns County school district in St. Augustine, FL voted 353 to 25 in favor of recertifying the St. Johns Educational Support Professional Association as their union, out of 1,992 eligible voters.
Bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians, and other non-instructional staff employed by the Clay County school district in Green Cove Springs, FL voted 431 to 35 in favor of recertifying the Clay Educational Staff Professional Association as their union, out of 1,999 eligible voters.
Bus drivers, custodians, maintenance workers, and other non-instructional staffed employed by the Walton County school district in Defuniak Springs, FL voted 243 to 4 in favor of recertifying Walton County Support Professionals as their union, out of 697 eligible voters.
Bus drivers, food service workers, secretaries, and other non-instructional staff employed by the Gilchrist County school district in Trenton, FL voted 85 to 11 in favor of recertifying Gilchrist Employees United as their union, out of 163 eligible voters.
Teachers, school psychologists, counselors, and media specialists employed by the Gilchrist County school district in Trenton, FL voted 135 to 1 in favor of recertifying Gilchrist Employees United as their union, out of 191 eligible voters.
Teachers employed by Santa Rosa County District Schools in Milton, FL voted 371 to 19 in favor of recertifying Santa Rosa Professional Educators as their union, out of 1,951 eligible voters.
Teachers, school psychologists, guidance counselors and other staff employed by the Osceola County School District in Kissimmee, FL voted 890 to 16 in favor of recertifying the Osceola County Education Association as their union, out of 4124 eligible voters.
Media assistants, student support specialists, locksmiths and other non-instructional employees employed by the Osceola County School District in Kissimmee, FL also voted 315 to 14 in favor of recertifying the Osceola County Education Association as their union, out of 1,650 eligible voters.
Teachers, school psychologists, guidance counselors and other staff employed by St. Lucie Public Schools in Port St. Lucie, FL voted 619 to 10 in favor of recertifying the Education Association of St. Lucie as their union, out of 2,875 eligible voters.
Maintenance, grounds, transportation, warehouse, plant operations, and food service workers employed by Pinellas County Schools in Largo, FL voted 212 to 28 in favor of recertifying the Service Employees International Union-Florida Public Sector Union (SEIU-FPSU) as their union, out of 2,320 eligible voters.
Professors, university librarians, psychologists and other instructional employees of the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL voted 645 to 19 in favor of recertifying as their union, out of 1,706 eligible voters.
Professors, research associates, psychologists and others employed by the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL also voted 553 to 26 in favor of recertifying United Faculty of Florida as their union, out of 1,616 eligible voters.
Professors, research associates, psychologists and others employed by Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL also voted 251 to 7 in favor of recertifying United Faculty of Florida as their union, out of 924 eligible voters.
Professors, curators, and others employed by the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL also voted 654 to 32 in favor of recertifying United Faculty of Florida as their union, out of 2,126 eligible voters.
Academic chairs, lead instructors, and others employed by St. Petersburg College in St. Petersburg, FL also voted 176 to 35 in favor of recertifying United Faculty of Florida as their union, out of 268 eligible voters.
Teachers, ESE specialists, school psychologists and other staff employed by Brevard County Public Schools in Viera, FL voted 2,830 to 38 in favor of recertifying the Brevard Federation of Teachers as their union, out of 4,955 eligible voters.
Teachers, school psychologists, academic coaches and other instructional staff employed by Volusia County Schools in DeLand, FL voted 1417 to 48 in favor of recertifying Volusia United Educators as their union, out of 4,215 eligible voters.
Secretaries, administrative clerks, and other non-instructional staff employed by Escambia County Public Schools in Pensacola, FL voted 191 to 13 in favor of recertifying the Union of Escambia Staff Professionals as their union, out of 866 eligible voters.
Teachers, school psychologists, and other instructional staff employed by Orange County Public Schools in Orlando, FL voted 3,857 to 66 in favor of recertifying the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association as their union, out of 13,919 eligible voters.
Teachers, media specialists, psychologists and other instructional personnel employed by Leon County Public Schools in Tallahassee, FL voted 560 to 10 in favor of recertifying the Leon Classroom Teachers Association as their union, out of 2,277 eligible voters.
Teachers employed by the Palm Beach County School District in West Palm Beach, FL voted 5,268 to 69 in favor of recertifying the Palm Beach County Classroom Teachers Association as their union, out of 13,079 eligible voters.
Teacher assistants and other paraprofessionals employed by Broward County Public Schools in Fort Lauderdale, FL voted 1031 to 13 in favor of recertifying the Broward Teachers Union as their union, out of 3,007 eligible voters.
Teachers, guidance counselors, media specialists and other instructional staff employed by the Franklin County School District in Eastpoint, FL voted 21 to 0 in favor of recertifying the Franklin County Teachers Association as their union, out of 57 eligible voters.
Facilities technicians, welders, office clerks, and others employed by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority in Jacksonville, FL voted 45 to 24 in favor of recertifying the Florida State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police as their union, out of 141 eligible voters.
Going deeper: Although police unions were largely exempted from recertification requirements under Florida’s 2023 anti-union law (SB 256), this exemption does not apply to bargaining units of civilian employees represented by cop unions (with few exceptions).
Animal control, fleet technicians, custodians, utilities, and other blue-collar workers employed by Hillsborough County in Tampa, FL voted 355 to 14 in favor of recertifying Hillsborough County Florida Employees (Local 167 of the American Federation of State, Municipal and County Employees (AFSCME) Florida) as their union, out of 911 eligible voters.
This post has been updated to clarify the circumstances surrounding the decertification of the former Jefferson County Education Association.
*Note on recertification: Under a controversial state law enacted in 2023 (SB 256), public sector unions are forced to petition for a recertification election if they report less than 60% membership to the state. Under the new law, unions must maintain a dues-paying membership of at least 60% of employees eligible for union representation. If they do not, they must petition for recertification within 30 days of submitting annual registration renewal paperwork to the state. If they do not file such a petition, the bargaining unit is decertified.
I had no idea just how much organizing was actually taking place throughout the state. That's quite encouraging to hear. Thanks for compiling this extensive list. This would be great to send to any workers who are considering organizing, to let them see that there is actually hope and success to be had...