A federal judge ordered Adventure Landing, a Florida water park, to pay $151K in penalties after the Department of Labor again found child labor violations.
Adventure Landing operators employed teenagers illegally and endangered minors.
ORLANDO, FL (STL.News) The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent order requiring a Jacksonville Beach water park to pay $151,606 in penalties after investigators found the company assigned young teenagers to work late hours during the school year and as attendants on elevated water slides without certification.
The consent order by the department’s Office of Administrative Law Judges follows an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division. Investigators determined that 1944 Beach Boulevard LLC, operator of Adventure Landing, employed 14- and 15-year-olds to work past 7 p.m. on weeknights and past 9 p.m. on Fridays between the day after Labor Day and May 31, outside of the limitations permitted under federal law.
“Employing children to work excessively can jeopardize their well-being and education,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Vilma Bell in Orlando, Florida. “We are committed to ensuring that young people have positive first employment experiences that teach them valuable skills while earning wages. Employers must understand and comply with federal child labor laws to ensure young workers’ safety.”
Investigators also found Adventure Landing assigned 14-year-old employees to work as attendants atop elevated water slides without required certifications. The Fair Labor Standards Act makes employing 14-year-olds in this type of work illegal.
In addition to paying $151,606 in civil money penalties, the employer signed a compliance agreement to enhance child labor safeguards and prevent future violations. Adventure Landing will take the following steps:
- Review and enhance training on child labor regulations for all employees, including translating content and making those training materials easily reviewable by the department’s investigators.
- Ensure managers report known child labor violations.
- Provide a report that outlines steps to come into compliance.
This is the second time division investigators uncovered federal child labor violations at Adventure Landing. In 2018, the division assessed $6,199 in penalties after the employer assigned eight 14- and 15-year-olds to work longer and later than allowed and one child to perform prohibited work at its Pineville, N.C. location.
In fiscal year 2023, the division found nearly 5,800 children employed nationally in violation of federal law, including more than 500 illegally employed in hazardous occupations, and assessed employers more than $8 million in child labor-related penalties, up 83 percent from the previous year.
