No, Juneteenth is not a holiday in Florida. The state has never added June 19 to its list of legal holidays or its list of paid holidays for state employees, so state offices stay open, state workers do not get a paid day off, and state court filing deadlines are not pushed to the next business day. Federal offices in Florida still close, because Juneteenth is a federal holiday, but that is a separate question from what Florida itself recognizes.
What Florida Law Says
Florida keeps two holiday lists in its statutes, and Juneteenth is on neither.
Section 683.01 defines the state’s “legal holidays,” which govern things like court deadlines and commercial transactions. It names 22 days, from New Year’s Day through Christmas. Juneteenth is not among them.1Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 683.01 – Legal Holidays
Section 110.117 lists the paid holidays for state employees: New Year’s Day, the Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans’ Day, Thanksgiving, the Friday after Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Nine days. Juneteenth is not there either.2Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 110.117 – Paid Holidays
Florida does have a Juneteenth statute. Section 683.21, enacted in 1991, designates June 19 as “Juneteenth Day” and authorizes the Governor to issue an annual proclamation. That designation is commemorative only. It does not close anything, and it does not entitle anyone to a paid day off.3Florida Senate. Florida CS for SB 490 – Juneteenth Day
Legislators have tried to change this. CS for SB 490 in 2021, filed after Juneteenth became a federal holiday, would have added June 19 to the state employee paid holiday list. It did not pass. Similar proposals in later sessions have also stalled.3Florida Senate. Florida CS for SB 490 – Juneteenth Day
What Stays Open on June 19 in Florida
Because Juneteenth is not on the paid holiday list, state agency offices operate on their normal schedule. That includes the Department of Motor Vehicles and the other state services Floridians use day to day.4Florida Department of Management Services. State Holidays
State courts also stay open. Because Juneteenth is not a legal holiday under Section 683.01, a state court filing deadline that lands on June 19 is not automatically extended.1Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 683.01 – Legal Holidays Counties can make their own call: Miami-Dade’s Eleventh Judicial Circuit closed all courts and clerk’s offices for Juneteenth in 2025, for example. That was a local decision, not a statewide rule, so check your county clerk before assuming anything.
What Closes Because It’s Federal
Juneteenth is a federal legal public holiday under 5 U.S.C. ยง 6103, and federal operations in Florida observe it regardless of what Florida does.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 6103 – Holidays
- Federal agency offices in Florida close, and federal employees get a paid day off.6U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Holidays Work Schedules and Pay
- The U.S. Postal Service does not deliver regular mail on June 19.7USPS. Holidays and Events
- The U.S. District Courts and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals close, and federal filing deadlines roll to the next business day.
- IRS deadlines that fall on Juneteenth move to the next business day.8Internal Revenue Service. Starting or Ending a Business
- The New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ close for the day.9New York Stock Exchange. Holidays and Trading Hours10NASDAQ. US Equity and Options Markets Holiday Schedule 2026
- The Federal Reserve observes the day, and FedACH processing pauses. Direct deposits, payroll, and ACH bill payments scheduled around June 19 can arrive a day or two later than usual.11Federal Reserve. Holiday Schedules
That split matters most for anyone working deadlines in both systems. A Florida state court may enforce a June 19 deadline while the federal courthouse across the street is dark.
Private Employers and Schools
No federal law and no Florida law requires a private employer to give workers a paid day off for Juneteenth. The Fair Labor Standards Act does not mandate pay for time not worked, including holidays.12U.S. Department of Labor. Holiday Pay Whether you get the day off depends on your employer’s policy or your union contract.
Working on a federal holiday does not trigger overtime by itself. The FLSA requires overtime only when a non-exempt employee works more than 40 hours in a workweek. Hours worked on Juneteenth count the same as any other hours toward that threshold.
Florida public schools set their calendars through local school boards. June 19 falls in mid-June, so most schools are already on summer break, and the question rarely comes up for students or teachers. Some private employers and schools close voluntarily or hold commemorative events.