US Department of Labor finds Panama City Beach scooter rental operator let minors do hazardous work, work more hours than legally allowed

PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL – With summer approaching, employers planning to employ teenagers should familiarize themselves with the Fair Labor Standards Act’s child labor provisions to avoid the violations and costly penalties incurred by a Panama City Beach scooter rental business operator.

A U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation found that MOT Dead Sea Inc., which operates as King of Scooters, violated overtime and federal child labor requirements. Specifically, investigators found the employer violated the law when they:

• Employed a 15-year-old minor to work more than 3 hours on a school day, more than 8 hours on a non-school day and past 7 p.m. during the school year.
• Allowed two 16-year-old and two 17-year-old employees to operate or work as outside helpers on motor vehicles. The minors regularly showed customers how to operate scooters, sports bikes, scoot coupes, mopeds and golf carts on the employer’s grounds.
• Employed some minors to drive golf carts over state highways to manage vehicle inventory at any of the five King of Scooters’ area locations.
• Failed to include commission payments when calculating workers’ overtime rates, resulting in the employer paying overtime at rates lower than the FLSA requires.

The division assessed a $5,233 civil penalty for violating child labor requirements, and the employer paid $514 in back wages to two workers to resolve the overtime violations.

“Child labor laws exist to strike a balance between providing a meaningful work experience for young people and keeping them safe on the job so that the work does not jeopardize their health and well-being or educational opportunities,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Wildalí De Jesús, in Orlando, Florida. “Employers should evaluate their employment practices to ensure that they comply and contact the Wage and Hour Division for compliance assistance and to answer any questions.” 

King of Scooters is a scooter and golf cart rental company operating five locations in Panama City Beach.

For more information about child labor standards, the FLSA and other laws enforced by the division, contact the agency’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, and use its search tool if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division.