Florida’s new DeSantis-backed laws address immigration, guns and more

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON
Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Employers who hire immigrants in the country illegally will face tough punishments and gun owners will have more freedoms when more than 200 new Florida laws take effect Saturday. Gov. Ron DeSantis will highlight several as he seeks the Republican presidential nomination. A new Florida law expands worker verification requirements. Opponents say it will hurt agriculture, tourism and the hospitality industries that rely on immigrants who can’t legally work in the United States. Another new law allows anyone who can legally own a gun to be able to carry it concealed in public without a permit.