MIAMI — On a steamy summer day in Miami, flea market produce vendor Bessy Hernandez is doing her best to drum up sales.
"Aguacate, aguacate de Florida!" the 73-year old Honduran native yells of her avocado selection, which is part of a much larger array of colorful inventory.
For decades, vendors at the Tropicana Flea Market have worked weekends under the hot sun, listening to music, trading jokes and light-hearted stories.
But lately, those stories have taken a grim turn, largely thanks to a new Florida immigration law.
The law ramps up demands for employers and workers to meet new sweeping requirements, including the employer submission of worker information to verify their legal status.
Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis now faces some reports of an exodus of Latinos from the state.
And despite his defense of the law, there are worries it could trigger a catastrophic blow to the state's economy.
Many Republicans are bracing for that potential impact. They worry the law goes too far and say it could ultimately hurt DeSantis and other down ballot GOP candidates in the 2024 election cycle.
Hernandez, who's been running her produce stand for 27 years, says as Latinos leave the state due to the law, she's losing her customer base of 'humble workers' like her.
"No millionaire is coming to a flea market," Hernandez said in her native Spanish.
Her sales have dropped 40 percent in a two-month period, starting just before...
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