Plantation, FL Immigration Policy: Sanctuary Policy Preemption (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 17-6
- Covered businesses
- Restaurants, food stores, grocers, convenience stores
- Prohibited act
- Knowingly hiring an unauthorized alien
- Max fine
- $500 under general penalty § 1-13
- Max jail term
- 60 days
- Continuing daily fine
- Up to $500 per day uncorrected
Summary
Plantation's own code, not just state law, makes it unlawful for any restaurant, food store, grocery, convenience store or other food or drink establishment in the city to knowingly employ, hire, recruit or refer an alien not authorized to work under federal immigration law or by the U.S. Attorney General.
It shall be unlawful for any person engaged in any restaurant, coffee shop, cafeteria, short order cafe, luncheonette, tavern, sandwich stand, drugstore and soda fountain serving food, and all other eating or drinking establishments, as well as kitchens, food stores, grocery stores, convenience stores, establishments with processed food for retail or wholesale sale, or any other place in which food or drink is prepared for sale elsewhere, knowingly to employ, hire, recruit or refer, either for himself or on behalf of another, for employment, an alien who is not duly authorized to work by the immigration laws or the attorney general.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 30 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 17-6, codified from Code 1964 § 17-32, targets the food-service and food-retail sector specifically: restaurants, coffee shops, cafeterias, short-order cafes, luncheonettes, taverns, sandwich stands, drugstores and soda fountains serving food, plus kitchens, food stores, grocery stores, convenience stores, and any establishment that prepares processed food for retail or wholesale sale. It is unlawful for a person operating any of these businesses to knowingly employ, hire, recruit, or refer someone else for employment, an alien not duly authorized to work by federal immigration law or the Attorney General.
Because § 17-6 sets no penalty of its own, enforcement falls to the city's general penalty clause, § 1-13: a violation not otherwise specified is punishable by a fine of up to $500, imprisonment of up to 60 days, or both, and a court may add a continuing fine of up to $500 per day the violation remains uncorrected. The court can also order restitution, probation, or up to 250 community service hours (or $10 per hour paid to the city in lieu of service).
This is a distinct local employer-sanctions ordinance, not a sanctuary/cooperation policy or detainer measure, and it predates the modern 287(g)/E-Verify state framework; it sits alongside, not in place of, Florida's statewide E-Verify and anti-sanctuary mandates.
Violations & Fines
A first violation of § 17-6 is prosecuted through the city's general penalty provision, § 1-13, since the section itself sets no separate fine. Courts can impose up to a $500 fine, up to 60 days in jail, or both, plus a continuing daily fine of up to $500 for each day the violation persists after adjudication, and may order restitution or community service in lieu of a portion of the fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Plantation have its own law against hiring unauthorized workers?
What businesses does § 17-6 cover?
What is the penalty for violating § 17-6?
Is this a sanctuary-city or ICE-cooperation ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Plantation
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Plantation to another location·View the Florida immigration policy overview
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