RIPE FOR ABUSE

A Tampa Bay Times special report

After a bus crash in May killed eight migrant farmworkers and injured dozens of others, a team of Tampa Bay Times reporters began probing what happened. That led to deeper inquiries about injuries and deaths faced by workers, many of them migrants, in Florida.

Migrant farmworkers came to Florida for stability. They found danger.

The temporary laborers endured grueling hours and unpaid labor before a fatal bus crash changed their lives. (Dec. 27, 2024)

Florida workers died in the heat. Their deaths were kept from authorities

A Times investigation found twice as many workers have died across the state from heat than officials know. (Dec. 14, 2024)

When a bus without seat belts met a dangerous driver, Florida farmworkers paid the price

The crash is among the deadliest collisions involving Florida farmworkers in decades. (May 17, 2024)

Florida’s history of migrant farmworker crashes spans decades

Tuesday’s crash that killed eight Mexican farmworkers in Marion County was the latest in a long series of tragedies on state roads. (May 15, 2024)

Driver in fatal migrant bus crash had a license despite numerous violations. Why?

Florida law allows for driver’s licenses to be revoked, but only under certain circumstances. (May 18, 2024)

Florida farmworkers survived a deadly bus crash. Then, they feared deportation.

Survivors told the Times they desperately wanted to stay in Florida to continue medical treatment. (June 8, 2024)

Lawmakers acted before when a migrant group’s bus crashed. Will they now?

In 2006, Florida politicians passed a bill requiring seat belts for farm worker vehicles. But it exempted large buses, like the one migrants were in when they crashed. (May 29, 2024)

About the reporters

Hannah Critchfield

is an investigative reporter at the Tampa Bay Times. Read more.

Juan Carlos Chavez

is an immigration reporter at the Tampa Bay Times. Read more.

Contributing reporters

Justin Garcia

is an accountability reporter at the Tampa Bay Times. Read more.

Romy Ellenbogen

is a politics reporter at the Tampa Bay Times. Read more.

Thomas C. Tobin

is a former editor at the Tampa Bay Times. Read more.