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Is There a Law on Rest Between Shifts in Florida?

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Is there a law on rest between shifts in Florida?

Short answer: no. Florida does not have a state law that requires a minimum rest period between shifts for adult workers. Florida also has no daily-overtime rule. Instead, Florida follows the federal 40-hour overtime rule.

• No daily OT, no adult rest law — U.S. DOL — Florida state labor laws: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/contacts/florida

What federal law does cover

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires 1.5× pay for hours worked over 40 in a single workweek — with or without a swap. If a swap moves a shift across the week line, it can create or remove overtime for either the person giving up the shift or the person taking it.

• 1.5× — pay for hours over 40 in a single workweek — FLSA overtime, 29 U.S.C. § 207: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/overtime

This is a federal pay rule, not a Florida rest requirement. It does not say how many hours must pass between two shifts.

Jobs with their own hours rules

Some jobs — nursing, driving, EMS — may have rest or hours-of-service rules that come from the employer's own policy, a union contract, or a federal rule specific to that industry. Florida law itself does not set these. Ask your manager or steward what applies to your job. Don't assume a rule exists just because it's common in your field.

If you're under 18

Florida does limit hours and late shifts for minors. If you or the person covering your shift is under 18, check this before agreeing to a late-night swap.

• Under 18 — Florida limits hours and late shifts for minors — Fla. Stat. 450.081 — child labor: https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2024/450.081

If you're in a union

If a collective bargaining agreement covers your job, its scheduling and rest provisions govern — not general Florida law. Ask your steward to confirm before you rely on a swap.

What to do next

Shift Swap Board is a free tool that reads the shift, hours, and any workplace rules you type in — approval windows, classification or license matching, overtime, rest between shifts, whatever you know. It writes the swap request and checks it against the FLSA 40-hour rule and Florida's minor-labor law. It only applies rules you actually gave it; if you didn't mention a rule, it will list it as something to ask about instead of guessing. For pay questions, call the U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division at 1-866-487-9243, in English or Spanish. This is not legal advice — confirm with your manager, steward, or a professional before you count on it.

Shift Swap Board writes and checks a swap request in plain language; it can be wrong, and it is not legal advice. Your employer's policy and your union contract control. Pay questions: U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243. Nothing you paste is stored.