Organizing Florida: New Union Organizing and Union Election Results (June 2025)
Catch up on new organizing in Florida, feat. a newly-unionized Starbucks in Tampa, plus more than two dozen union recertifications in the public sector.

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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
Gathered from the National Labor Relations Board:
81 housekeepers, janitors, restroom attendants, and other casino workers at Magic City Casino in Miami, FL have filed a petition to decertify their union, affiliated with UNITE HERE Local 355. Similar to a standard union election, a simple majority of workers will have to vote against the union in order for the union to be decertified.
Note: Evidently not a lot of new organizing in the private sector last month, although we did see movement among workers in established unions, e.g. Hilton hotel workers (repped by UNITE HERE) securing a new union contract in Orlando that offers increased job security for immigrant workers, plus Breakthru Beverage drivers across six Florida cities walked off the job this month and are on strike over alleged unfair labor practices.
ELECTION RESULTS
Gathered from the National Labor Relations Board (and other sources):
Baristas and shift supervisors employed by Starbucks in Tampa, FL voted 8 to 5 in favor of unionizing with Starbucks Workers United, out of 15 eligible voters.
Dispatchers, schedulers, and other employees of MV Transportation in Port St. Lucie, FL who are not currently represented by a labor union voted 15 to 5 in favor of unionizing with the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1577 in a re-run election. According to the National Labor Relations Board, workers previously voted 6 to 12 against unionization last year. Objections were filed after the results came in, however, and a rerun election was ordered.
HVAC technicians, plumbers, electricians, and engineers employed by Swire Properties Services LLC at the Brickell City Center in Miami, FL slimly voted 7 to 9 against unionizing with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 30 (Note: These election results are from late May, but I’ve only seen them posted by the NLRB as of this last week or so).
ORGANIZING IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
Obtained through public records requests submitted to the state Public Employees Relations Commission:
Police lieutenants for the Orlando Police Department in Orlando, FL who were (seemingly) kicked out of an existing bargaining unit in 2006 have filed a petition to “opt in” or re-join a bargaining unit of supervisory police lieutenants and police captains represented by the Florida State Lodge, Fraternal Order of Police. According to the petition, obtained from PERC through a records request, 11 out of 13 eligible police lieutenants have already signed showing-of-interest cards in support of unionization with the FOP.
Going deeper: It’s unclear to me which types of police lieutenants this petition is specifically looking to opt in. Orlando Police Department employees first unionized with the Lodge in 2002, but records show the union filed a petition to “clarify” (i.e. amend) one of their bargaining units in 2006 to specifically exclude lieutenants assigned to the mayor’s office. Managerial lieutenants are also excluded from the bargaining unit, per state records.
The Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) dismissed a petition filed by Federation of Public Employees to recertify a bargaining unit of blue-collar workers employed by Broward County Public Schools in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Going deeper: According to PERC, the petition was deficient because it did not include a showing of interest (i.e. signed cards of support) from at least 30% of the bargaining unit. PERC, however, did give the union an additional 20 days to “cure” the deficiency. Under Florida’s union statutes (amended in 2023 and 2024), most all public sector bargaining units that have a dues-paying membership of less than 60% must recertify with the Commission annually through a resource-intensive process that costs both the unions and taxpayers.
Florida’s Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) dismissed a petition filed by the Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association to represent corrections sergeants for the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office in Vero Beach, FL.
Going deeper: According to PERC, the PBA failed to provide a sufficient showing of interest for unionization by producing several invalid showing-of-interest cards from employees, thus placing them below the 30% threshold. State records show the International Union of Police Associations — an intervenor in this case — already represents these corrections sergeants, meaning this is an attempted raid. Sergeants first voted to unionize with the IUPA in 2021.
Florida’s Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) dismissed a petition filed by a Sebastian Police Department employee to decertify the International Union of Police Associations as the existing union representing civilian employees (e.g. 911 dispatchers) employed by Sebastian PD in Sebastian, FL.
Going deeper: According to PERC, two of the showing-of-interest cards submitted by the employee were invalid (containing typed, rather than printed dates). Because it’s a small bargaining unit, those two botched showing-of-interest cards were enough to render the petition deficient and subject to dismissal.
Florida’s Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) dismissed a petition filed by a DeFuniak Springs Police Department employee to decertify the Florida Police Benevolent Association as the existing union representing police officers in DeFuniak Springs, FL.
Going deeper: According to PERC, the showing-of-interest cards submitted by the employee were deficient (failed to include all of the applicable information). Thus, the petition has been dismissed.
ELECTION RESULTS
Gathered from the state Public Employees Relations Commission
New organizing
Sergeants employed by the St. Johns County Sheriffs Office in St. Augustine, FL voted 6 to 29 against unionizing with the Florida State Lodge, Fraternal Order of Police, out of 49 eligible voters.
Union *recertification
Teachers, school social workers, psychologists, and other instructional staff employed by Highlands County public schools in Sebring, FL voted 316 to 2 in favor of recertifying the Highlands County Education Association as their union, out of 821 eligible voters.
Teachers employed by Flagler County Schools in Palm Coast, FL voted 236 to 6 in favor of recertifying the Flagler County Education Association as their union, out of 922 eligible voters.
Apprentice teachers, para-educators, and other instructional staff employed by Polk County Public Schools in Bartow, FL voted 369 to 1 in favor of recertifying the Polk Education Association as their union, out of 1,530 eligible voters.
An additional bargaining unit of teachers, counselors, therapists and other school staff employed by Polk County Public Schools in Bartow, FL similarly voted 1,620 to 30 in favor of recertifying the Polk Education Association as their union, out of 6,832 eligible voters.
Bus drivers, food service workers, maintenance, and other blue-collar staff employed by the Osceola County school district in Kissimmee, FL voted 223 to 1 in favor of recertifying the Teamsters Local 385 as their union, out of 1,343 eligible voters.
Electricians, maintenance techs, trades workers and other blue-collar staff employed by Indian River County in Vero Beach, FL voted 131 to 8 in favor of recertifying the Teamsters Local 769 as their union, out of 296 eligible voters.
Educational support staff employed by Marion County Public Schools in Ocala, FL voted 357 to 5 in favor of recertifying the Marion Education Support Professionals as their union, out of 1,467 eligible voters.
Paraprofessionals employed by Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville, FL voted 158 to 4 in favor of recertifying Duval Teachers United as their union, out of 1,265 eligible voters.
Administrative and clerical personnel employed by Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville, FL voted 175 to 8 in favor of recertifying Duval Teachers United as their union, out of 871 eligible voters.
City workers employed by the city of Williston, FL voted 15 to 4 in favor of recertifying the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 79 as their union, out of 39 eligible voters.
Parks operation supervisors, cemetery coordinators, traffic signal technician leads and other supervisory workers employed by the city of Gainesville, FL voted 10 to 0 in favor of recertifying the Communications Workers of America as their union, out of 32 eligible voters.
Code enforcement officers, carpenters, park rangers and other blue- and white-collar workers employed by the city of Gainesville, FL voted 113 to 7 in favor of recertifying the Communications Workers of America as their union, out of 640 eligible voters.
Housing coordinators, custodial workers, public information officers and others employed by the Gainesville Housing Authority in Gainesville, FL voted 6 to 3 in favor of recertifying the Communications Workers of America as their union, out of 26 eligible voters.
Custodial technicians, solid waste, engineering employees, and other workers employed by the city of Largo, FL voted 101 to 21 in favor of recertifying the Communications Workers of America as their union, out of 354 eligible voters.
Teachers, school counselors, media specialists and other staff employed by the Madison County school district in Madison, FL voted 34 to 2 in favor of recertifying the Madison County Education Association as their union, out of 126 eligible voters.
Teachers, media specialists, school counselors, and other instructional staff employed by Marion County Public Schools in Ocala, FL voted 1001 to 20 in favor of recertifying the Marion Education Association as their union, out of 2,874 eligible voters.
Teachers, mental health clinicians, media specialists, and other instructional staff employed by Clay County Public Schools in Green Cove Springs, FL voted 1048 to 26 in favor of recertifying the Clay County Education Association as their union, out of 2,975 eligible voters.
Teachers, guidance counselors, librarians, and other instructional staff employed by Putnam County Public Schools in Palatka, FL voted 160 to 4 in favor of recertifying the Putnam Federation of Teachers/United as their union, out of 651 eligible voters.
Non-instructional staff employed by Flagler County Public Schools in Palm Coast, FL voted 102 to 5 in favor of recertifying the Flagler Educational Support Professional Union as their union, out of 812 eligible voters.
Full-time faculty employed by Chipola College in Marianna, FL voted 14 to 1 in favor of recertifying United Faculty of Florida-Chipola Faculty Association as their union, out of 47 eligible voters.
Graduate student workers at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL voted 276 to 1 in favor of recertifying United Faculty of Florida as their union, out of 4,282 eligible voters.
Bus drivers, school safety officers, and other non-instructional staff employed by the Hamilton County school district in Jasper, FL voted 26 to 1 in favor of recertifying the Hamilton County Education Association as their union, out of113 eligible voters.
Teachers, career specialists, school psychologists and other instructional staff employed by Pasco County Public Schools in Land O’Lakes, FL voted 1557 to 28 in favor of recertifying the United School Employees of Pasco as their union, out of 5,514 eligible voters.
Animal control officers, carpenters, traffic maintenance workers, and other blue-collar workers employed by Palm Beach County in Palm Beach, FL voted 493 to 24 in favor of recertifying the Communications Workers of America as their union, out of 1,171 eligible voters.
Code compliance officers, mechanics, public workers coordinators and other staff employed by the town of Surfside, FL voted 14 to 0 in favor of recertifying the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 79 as their union, out of 46 eligible voters.
Auto mechanics, electricians, and other city staff employed by the city of Opa-Locka, FL voted 5 to 0 in favor of recertifying the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 79 as their union, out of 43 eligible voters.
Code compliance officers, park custodians, permitting coordinators, and other city staff employed by the city of Dania Beach, FL voted 34 to 0 in favor of recertifying the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 3535 as their union, out of 106 eligible employees.
Billing officers, crime analysts, parks maintenance workers, and other city staff employed by the city of Hallandale Beach, FL voted 58 to 0 in favor of recertifying the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 2001 as their union, out of 166 eligible voters.
Employees of the Pinellas Park Water Management District voted 0 to 0 against recertifying the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 79 as their union, out of 2 eligible voters.
Going deeper: There are only two other public sector bargaining units in Florida that have voted against recertification since it first became a requirement in 2023: A group of Orange County Sheriffs Office employees voted against recertifying AFSCME last year, while a group of Palm Beach Gardens employees similarly voted 8 to 11 against recertifying SEIU-FPSU as their union just last month as well. All 120+ other bargaining units that have made it through the recertification process so far have been successfully recertified by members of their bargaining units.
*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.