The Florida Senate
BILL ANALYSIS AND FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
(This document is based on the provisions contained in the legislation as of the latest date listed below.)
Prepared By: The Professional Staff of the Committee on Fiscal Policy
BILL: SB 936
INTRODUCER: Senator Davis
SUBJECT: Statewide Study on Automation and Workforce Impact
DATE: April 21, 2025
ANALYST STAFF DIRECTOR REFERENCE ACTION
1. Dike McKay CM Favorable
2. Griffin Nortelus ATD Favorable
3. Dike Siples FP Favorable
I. Summary:
SB 936 requires the Bureau of Workforce Statistics and Economic Research (bureau) at the
Department of Commerce (department) to perform a statewide study on the effects of
automation, robotics, and AI on the state’s workforce. The study must analyze specified
information and impacts and must be conducted every three years so the bureau can update its
policy recommendations.
The bill does not appear to have a fiscal impact to the department. See Section V. Fiscal Impact
Statement.
The bill is effective July 1, 2025.
II. Present Situation:
Automation, Robotics, and AI in the Workforce
Since the Industrial Revolution, the issue of machines replacing humans in the workplace has
become increasingly concerning to the workforce.
1
There is increasing evidence that automation
of lower skill occupations has contributed to wage inequality.
2
Although the use of robotics is
lower in the U.S. than other countries, the estimates of one study on automation in the workforce
“imply that each additional robot per thousand workers reduces the local employment-to-
population ratio by 0.39 percentage points and wages by about 0.77 percent.”
3
Other researchers
1
Sara Brown, MIT, A New Study Measures the Actual Impact of Robots on Jobs. It’s Significant., available at
https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/a-new-study-measures-actual-impact-robots-jobs-its-significant (last visited
Mar. 28, 2025).
2
Daron Acemoglu and Pascual Restrepo, Robots and Jobs: Evidence from US Labor Markets, 128:6 J. POL. ECON. 2188,
2189, available at https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/toc/jpe/2020/128/6 (last visited Mar. 28, 2025).
3
Id. at 2241.
REVISED: BILL: SB 936 Page 2
“found that for every robot added per 1,000 workers in the U.S., wages decline by 0.42 percent
and the employment-to-population ratio goes down by 0.2 percentage points — to date, this
means the loss of about 400,000 jobs.”
4
Regarding Florida specifically, rapid advances in technology may threaten the availability of
jobs. One study “estimates that the Miami metropolitan statistical area (MSA), which includes
Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, will likely see about 23 percent of its total
workforce displaced by automation by 2030 — or 761,000 South Florida jobs.”
5
Another study
found that “43.4 percent of jobs across Florida had a high risk of automation in 2023.”
6
Further,
a survey by the Florida Chamber Foundation shows that 77 percent of industry leaders
“anticipate changes in core technologies, workforce generational shifts, or artificial intelligence
will disrupt their business.”
7
Meanwhile, proponents of AI argue that it can make businesses work more efficiently by
automating routine operations and letting workers focus on more important tasks.
8
Businesses
can use AI to communicate with even more clients and customers than possible with just human
efforts.
9
Moreover, some research on laborers who work alongside automation shows that those
workers have higher wages than those workers that do not have the same computer literacy
skills.
10
III. Effect of Proposed Changes:
Definitions
The bill defines the term “artificial intelligence” to mean a machine-based learning system that
can, for a given set of human-defined objectives make predictions, recommendations, or
decisions influencing real or virtual environments. An artificial intelligence system uses machine
and human-based inputs to:
• Perceive real and virtual environments.
• Abstract perceptions into models through analysis in an automated manner.
• Model inferences to formulate options for information or action.
4
Brown, supra note 1.
5
Rob Wile, MIAMI HERALD, Nearly 1 million South Florida workers face automation. Here’s who will survive., available at
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article232600937.html (last visited Mar. 28, 2025).
6
Melanie Schmees and John Shannon, Issue Brief: Automation in Southwest Florida, available at
https://www.fgcu.edu/cob/reri/news/reports/issue-brief-automation-in-southwest-florida (last visited Mar. 28, 2025).
7
FLORIDA CHAMBER FOUND., Florida Workforce 2030, available at https://www.flchamber.com/wp-
content/uploads/2020/02/Florida-Workforce-2030-Report_FINAL_web.pdf (last visited Mar. 28, 2025).
8
Tyler Weitzman, FORBES, Understanding The Benefits And Risks Of Using AI In Business, available at
https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/03/01/understanding-the-benefits-and-risks-of-using-ai-in-
business/ (last visited Mar. 28, 2025).
9
Id.
10
Ashley Nunes, HARV. BUS. REV., Automation Doesn’t Just Create or Destroy Jobs—It Transforms Them, available at
https://hbr.org/2021/11/automation-doesnt-just-create-or-destroy-jobs-it-transforms-them (last visited Mar. 28, 2025). BILL: SB 936 Page 3
Statewide Study on Automation
Under the bill, the bureau must study the economic impact of automation, AI, and robotics on
employment in the state, focusing on job losses and gains due to AI and automation.
By December 1, 2025, and every three years after that, the bureau must submit a report of its
findings and recommendations to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of
the House of Representatives. The bureau must conduct the study every three years to update its
policy recommendations.
The study must analyze:
• Industries most affected and projected job displacement over the next ten years due to the use
of AI.
• Geographic regions within this state most vulnerable to job loss or displacement.
• Demographics of workers that are most at risk.
• Impact on wages and job quality in key job sectors.
• Economic benefits, including productivity growth and job creation.
• Workforce training programs addressing job loss or displacement.
• Policy recommendations for workforce resilience, including education and retraining
investments.
• The rate and scale of job loss or displacement caused specifically by AI compared to other
forms of automation.
When executing this study, the bureau may consult with:
• Business and industry representatives.
• Academic institutions with labor economics expertise.
• Local economic councils and chambers of commerce.
• Any groups the bureau deems necessary to complete the study.
Effective Date
The bill sets out an effective date of July 1, 2025.
IV. Constitutional Issues:
A. Municipality/County Mandates Restrictions:
None.
B. Public Records/Open Meetings Issues:
None.
C. Trust Funds Restrictions:
None. BILL: SB 936 Page 4
D. State Tax or Fee Increases:
None.
E. Other Constitutional Issues:
None identified.
V. Fiscal Impact Statement:
A. Tax/Fee Issues:
None.
B. Private Sector Impact:
None.
C. Government Sector Impact:
The study will marginally increase the workload of the bureau; however, the costs of
which can likely be absorbed by the department.
VI. Technical Deficiencies:
None.
VII. Related Issues:
None.
VIII. Statutes Affected:
This bill creates an undesignated section of the Florida law.
IX. Additional Information:
A. Committee Substitute – Statement of Changes:
(Summarizing differences between the Committee Substitute and the prior version of the bill.)
None.
B. Amendments:
None.
This Senate Bill Analysis does not reflect the intent or official position of the bill’s introducer or the Florida Senate.