ORLANDO, Fla. — The Central Florida fairgrounds hosted the Orlando Mayor’s Job Fair Wednesday, and nearly 100 companies were on hand looking to hire thousands of jobs in dozens of industries.

But a recent immigration bill that was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis on May 10 is causing some companies to adjust their plans going forward.

How companies will handle the new laws regarding immigrant work eligibility this summer is also on the minds of many workers.

The law DeSantis signed, Senate Bill 1718, requires companies with 25 employees or more must use the E-verify system to determine their employees' work status, and would impose fines or penalties against anyone employing undocumented workers.

Dozens of the companies attending the job fair Wednesday did not want to talk about the new legislation. But officials in some sectors say they have concerns about being negatively affected. 

An representative from DEL-AIR, which employs more than 700 people in Central Florida, says Senate Bill 1716 likely won’t significantly affect the business.

DEL-AIR talent acquisition specialist Dorian Cody has been recruiting employees for 10 years — the past two with DEL-AIR. He said his company has been following Florida’s new immigration law closely and has been making necessary plans ahead of it taking effect this summer.

“We do have plans in place to be able to assist individuals towards being able to come on board with us,” Cody said, noting that DEL-AIR already uses the E-Verify system.

He expects the company to be prepared for current and potential worker eligibility come July 1.

“Any individuals that may have any type of expirations that come up, we are notified,” Cody said. “We are able to let those candidates know.”

OrlandoJobs.com president Roger Lear, whose company posts over 10,000 jobs annually, believes the construction industry will soon feel the effects of Senate Bill 1716.

“Woodworkers, plumbers, electricians, everything ... as well as hourly workers to work on the sites and do those jobs,” he said. “Those will tremendously be affected by this particular law if everybody follows the law to the way it is supposed to be.”

DEL-AIR is looking to fill 100 positions already.

“The main jobs we are looking to hire for is residential service technician, residential new construction, installers, electrical, plumbing, across the board,” Cody said.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the construction industry had 140,000 job openings in Central Florida as of May of 2022.

Lear also pointed out that two of the most important industries in Central Florida that rely on immigrant workers, construction and hospitality, are already the two biggest industries currently looking for workers.