HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Lately, the scorching temperatures in the Tampa Bay area have felt relentless. But for people like farm workers whose jobs require them to be outside daily, it means extra measures to stay healthy in the heat.
"We're kind of used to the heat. This is what we work normally,” said Rosa Gomez, who works at Parkesdale Farms in Hillsborough County.
On Tuesday, Gomez and other workers trimmed down blackberry bushes for the upcoming season. Even with an overcast morning, everyone knows how humidity can pack a punch.
"Usually when it's so hot, sometimes we just take our break, maybe ten minutes, five minutes, just to stay over the heat and get plenty of water,” said Gomez.
Matt Parke, the farm manager and operations manager at Parkesdale Farms, said everybody wears long sleeve, thin shirts and that many people will cover their faces too.
“It helps you stay cooler on a hot day,” said Parke. “Once you sweat, your shirt becomes a little wet, and you get a little bit of a breeze, and then you kinda stay cooler that way, and you’re keeping the sun off your skin because we’re in the sun most of every day, all day.”
Parke said when it’s hot like it has been, they only work until about noon.
"We adjust hours, not only for the heat but also because of the workload that we have,” said Parke. “During the summer, we're really not doing that much, so to extend the days that we're working, we'll work half days."
He said they also make sure everybody is staying hydrated.
"We’re always outside, but we do what we love, and we love what we do,” said Parke.
