The Tampa Bay Area is Florida’s largest west coast metro region, anchored by the city of Tampa and encompassing the area’s eponymous body of water. With a population of approximately 3 million, the number of people living in the area has more than doubled over the last 40 years thanks to consistent annual growth. Though Tampa is the largest city in the region, other major communities include Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Spring Hill, and Brandon. The metro occupies four core counties, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Hernando, and Pasco, with neighboring counties such as Citrus and Sarasota sometimes included as well.
The Tampa Bay Area features one of the highest concentrations of businesses and enterprises in the state, with sectors from banking to IT represented. Bank of America and Citigroup have regional headquarters in the area. Franchise restaurant chain Outback Steakhouse also makes Tampa its home, while the Home Shopping Network is based in nearby St. Petersburg.
With millions of people densely packed into a small region characterized by a robust economy and plentiful opportunities for higher education, area businesses can tap into a deep and diverse labor pool. In doing so, employers should screen applicants for safety and suitability–which includes casting a wide net when hiring within a metropolitan area. A background check that examines only Hillsborough County, for example, could omit relevant information from Pinellas Count that would impact your final decision. The solution is to implement a policy that requires metro-wide background checks for all applicants.
In crafting these procedures, an awareness of Florida law regarding background checks is important for compliance. Overall, Florida does not place any broad restrictions on an employer’s ability to consider criminal records during the hiring process. For example, there are no “ban the box” rules in place at a state or local level governing when in the hiring process you may run a background check or ask about an applicant’s criminal history. Tampa does have an ordinance that pertains only to the city itself as an employer. Otherwise, businesses need only avoid automatic disqualification due to a criminal record. Additionally, it is worth noting that under Florida law, businesses which conduct background checks on their employees are shielded from legal liability in accusations of negligent hiring.
With that in mind, the benefits in widening your pre-employment vetting procedures to include the entire Tampa Bay Area are even greater. Background checks with a wider scope can give you greater insight into who you hire in a large and active job market. backgroundchecks.com delivers straightforward access to instant background checks for the Tampa Bay Area that include everything you need to make informed hiring decisions. Improve confidence in your hiring practices and ensure you have everything necessary to choose the best candidates for the job.
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA