Florida’s fields feed much of the nation, but for the farmworkers tending its crops, extreme heat often turns a day’s labor into a serious health risk.
The new documentary, Without Shade, Without Rest, follow residents and advocacy groups fighting for state-wide heat protections and examines the challenges of working outdoors amid rising temperatures and weak legal safeguards.
The film shows scenes of farmworkers picking various crops and describing their experience after struggling to breathe under the intense Florida sun, where the heat index can reach above 100° degrees Fahrenheit.
“One of the things that stood out to us while making this film is how cumulative heat exposure can be,” filmmaker José Zaragoza, co-founder of Six Eye Films, told WLRN. He helps run the journalist-led, documentary nonprofit based in West Palm Beach.
“Sometimes we think heat exposure might be fainting spells or something we experience and then overcome and recover from," he said — but it’s much more complicated than that.
“As you watch the film you’ll know that there’s long-term effects from exposure to extreme heat: kidney problems, vision issues, exhaustion," Zaragoza added.
“It’s not just about single dramatic incidents. Heat isn't just weather, it's a working condition. And here in Florida, it's a life or death one.”
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Florida, the epicenter of the U.S. heat crisis, is the hottest state in the nation. Florida Climate Center, the state's climate office, reports that since 1950 Florida’s average annual temperature has risen by about 3.5°F, exceeding the global increase of roughly 2.7°F over the same period.
The current data adds an extra layer of truth to the anecdotal experiences, filmmakers said.
The film highlights voices from the farmworkers describing dizzy spells, burns and the fear of losing their jobs, alongside advocacy groups like the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and WeCount, a worker-led organization based in Homestead that pushed for stronger heat protections in Miami-Dade County.
In 2021, WeCount’s national "¡Qué Calor!" (“What heat!” in Spanish) campaign in Miami-Dade came close to establishing what would have been a first-in-the-nation county heat standard.
But lobbying from business and industry groups delayed the local vote. Before it could pass, the state legislature implemented HB 433, which banned local governments from enacting heat protection laws.
In the film, Rick Roth, president of Roth Farms and a former Palm Beach County state representative (2016–2024), criticized any proposed heat rules. He argued that local officials lack the expertise and staffing to enforce them.
He supports practical safety steps like hydration and breaks but calls climate change concerns “exaggerated.”
The film is shot in a fly-on-the-wall style, allowing farmworkers, residents and lawmakers to speak for themselves and enabling viewers to interpret the controversial story without the all-too-familiar documentary narration.
Max Maldonado, a visual journalist and co-director of the film, says the Six Eye Films nonprofit wanted to avoid summarizing the experiences of farmworkers "into a neat little box."
"Nowadays people [viewers] are educated enough to be able to make those inferences and to also make those emotional judgment calls on their own,” he said.
A 2024 Tampa Bay Times investigation identified 37 heat-related worker fatalities in Florida over the past decade, double the federal count.
Just over half of these deaths went unreported to the regulatory agency — Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) — and at least half of the victims were immigrants working in industries like agriculture, construction and roofing.
Because of reporting failures to OSHA, the true death toll is likely higher.
“For someone from New York, it's really important to know that we consume a lot of these fruits and vegetables that come from Florida."Emily Sternlicht
Six Eye Films told WLRN they plan to continue screening the documentary across public institutions such as libraries and schools to raise awareness around the issue of heat and worker safety.
Producer and editor Emily Sternlicht, who is based in New York, brought an outsider’s perspective to the project, saying it brings unexpected insight into the produce she eats.
“For someone from New York, it's really important to know that we consume a lot of these fruits and vegetables that come from Florida,” Sternlicht said.
“It affects everyone in different ways no matter where you are. Things that happen in Florida have repercussions throughout the country.”
Six Eye Films is working on their next local screening in South Florida. For more information, here.
