Clewiston, known as America's Sweetest Town, is the headquarters of US Sugar Corporation. Hendry County is one of Florida's top H-2A certification counties, with sugar cane harvest running October through April and citrus harvest overlapping in winter months.
H-2A employers in Hendry County must provide workers' comp coverage before DOL issues your certification. We issue certificates the same day.
Federal Requirement — No Exceptions
Under 20 C.F.R. § 655.122(e), all H-2A employers in Clewiston must provide workers' comp regardless of operation size. Florida's agricultural exemption does not apply.
Clewiston, known as America's Sweetest Town, is the headquarters of US Sugar Corporation. Hendry County is one of Florida's top H-2A certification counties, with sugar cane harvest running October through April and citrus harvest overlapping in winter months.
Major employers in the area include: US Sugar Corporation, Hendry County citrus growers.
Sugar Cane Plantation & Driver
2026 FWCJUA Rate
Rate per $100
$2.791
Est. Premium*
$11,164
$400K payroll
* Estimate based on $400K annual payroll. Actual premium varies by carrier.
Field injuries during harvest operations
Farm machinery and equipment accidents
Heat stroke and heat-related illness
Transportation injuries (to/from fields)
Full medical coverage for H-2A workers
Wage replacement during recovery
Yes — and this is a federal requirement that overrides Florida state law. Under 20 C.F.R. § 655.122(e), every H-2A employer must provide workers' compensation coverage regardless of how many workers they employ. Florida state law normally exempts agricultural employers with fewer than 6 regular employees, but that exemption does not apply when you are using H-2A workers. You must provide proof of coverage — including carrier name, policy number, and coverage dates — to the U.S. Department of Labor before your certification is issued.
You need proof of workers' compensation coverage in place before the U.S. Department of Labor issues your temporary agricultural labor certification. This means you need your policy bound and documented before your workers ever set foot in Florida. The DOL certifying officer will review your proof of insurance as part of the Form ETA-790A approval process. Do not wait until your workers arrive — by then it is too late.
The class code depends on the type of agricultural work your H-2A workers perform. Common Florida codes include: 0008 (vegetable farming — tomatoes, peppers, squash) at $2.506 per $100 payroll; 0016 (citrus orchards, avocados, mangos) at $3.595; 0030 (sugar cane) at $2.791; 0037 (field crops, strawberries) at $3.186; 0005 (nursery/foliage) at $2.403. If your workers perform multiple types of work, you may need multiple codes. We will review your operation and assign the correct codes to minimize your premium.
Yes. Under 20 C.F.R. § 655.122(a), when you employ both H-2A workers and domestic workers, you are prohibited from offering domestic workers less benefits than H-2A workers. This means your workers' compensation policy must cover all employees — H-2A and domestic alike. You cannot have a policy that only covers your H-2A workers while leaving domestic workers uninsured.
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