Have a general question about employment law? Want to share a story? I welcome all comments and questions. I can't give legal advice here about specific situations but will be glad to discuss general issues and try to point you in the right direction. If you need legal advice, contact an employment lawyer in your state. Remember, anything you post here will be seen publicly, and I will comment publicly on it. It will not be confidential. Govern yourself accordingly. If you want to communicate with me confidentially as Donna Ballman, Florida lawyer rather than as Donna Ballman, blogger, my firm's website is here.

Friday, October 5, 2018

Massachusetts Limits Noncompetes - Are You Listening Florida?

Florida has a real chance to turn the governorship and some legislative seats blue this year. Because Florida is one of the worst states for employees in the nation, a change in leadership means an opportunity to change some of the worst anti-employee laws. And in my opinion the worst of the anti-employee Florida laws is our noncompete law.

Massachusetts, after years of wrangling, finally passed a noncompete law that protects its workers against oppressive agreements amounting to virtual indentured servitude. The law went into effect October 1.

Here are some of the provisions of the Massachusetts law that could and should be adopted in Florida:

  • No noncompetes for hourly employees
  • No noncompetes for interns
  • No enforcement of noncompetes for employees fired without cause or laid off
  • No noncompetes for minors
  • Continued employment alone is not consideration for a noncompete
  • Noncompetes can't last more than a year, with the exception of an instance where an employee takes trade secrets
  • Employers have to pay at least 50% of wages for the length of the noncompete period

These are very reasonable restrictions on noncompetes that simply don't exist under the anti-employee Florida law. What are some other restrictions that might be reasonable for noncompetes in Florida that don't exist now?


Noncompetes are bad for economic development, bad for wages, and bad for employees. If you think Florida should follow Massachusetts and other states in limiting abusive noncompete agreements, tell your candidates and vote wisely.



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I appreciate your comments and general questions but this isn't the place to ask confidential legal questions. If you need an employee-side employment lawyer, try http://exchange.nela.org/findalawyer to locate one in your state.