News & Resources

Florida city passes stricter background screening law

Jan 24, 2011 Matt Roesly

In Florida, one city is attempting to increase security by having those seeking employment go through tougher background screenings. The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports that the city of Deltona recently approved a measure that will force all of those trying to get a job with the city to have their fingerprints taken as part of its background check process. The commission voted to pass a law in order to protect people in the area from those with criminal backgrounds. Commissioner Zenaida Denizac said that it was important to make sure people were not at risk. "The intention was to protect the vulnerable - the elderly, the kids and the disabled," Denizac said in an interview with the paper. Once taken, the fingerprints will be sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in order to make sure that no criminal history exists. While state law already forces teachers and police officers to go through these checks, the new law will make anyone collecting a paycheck from the city undergo the same types of checks. A recent Supreme Court decision will force workers with government contracts to go through stringent background checks. In a unanimous decision, the country's top court said that the policy, which had been fought by workers on constitutional grounds, was legal.