If you work anywhere in Palm Beach County — from West Palm Beach and Boca Raton to Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Jupiter, or Wellington — and something at your job has crossed a legal line, it costs nothing to find out where you stand. Walwin “Wali” Taylor handles employment discrimination and retaliation cases in West Palm Beach. Our firm represents workers only, never employers, in disputes throughout the county. WLT Law Firm handles Palm Beach County matters at every level: the EEOC, the state civil-rights agency, the county Office of Equal Opportunity, and the state and federal courts that sit in West Palm Beach. Your first conversation is free and confidential — call (954) 905-9863 or (866) 438-9254 (866-GET-WALI).
Discrimination and Retaliation Are Not the Same Claim
People usually call because they cannot tell whether what happened to them was illegal or simply unfair — and that difference is the whole case. An employer is allowed to be mean, demanding, mistaken, or even unreasonable. What the law forbids is acting for a discriminatory or retaliatory reason — that is off-limits — and proving that reason is what separates a grievance from a claim.
Discrimination means being treated worse than others because of a protected trait — race, color, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, religion, or national origin, among others — whether that shows up as a termination, a passed-over promotion, a pay gap, a denied accommodation, or a demotion.
Retaliation means being punished for doing something the law protects: reporting or objecting to discrimination or harassment, filing or supporting a charge, asking for a disability or religious accommodation, taking protected leave, or raising a wage complaint. The underlying complaint does not have to be proven right — a good-faith, reasonable belief that the conduct was unlawful is enough. In our experience retaliation is both the most common claim and often the most winnable, because the sequence of events tends to speak for itself.
A County Ordinance That Reaches Where State Law Stops
Most people know Title VII, the ADA, the ADEA, and the Florida Civil Rights Act. Fewer know that Palm Beach County has a layer of its own. The county’s Equal Employment Ordinance (Ordinance 95-31, as amended) bars workplace discrimination within the county and is enforced locally by the Palm Beach County Office of Equal Opportunity.
What makes the county ordinance worth knowing is its reach: alongside the familiar federal categories, it expressly protects familial status, marital status, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression, and it gives county residents a local place to file. A complaint with the Office of Equal Opportunity must be brought within 180 days of the most recent discriminatory act. Which law fits your situation — federal, state, the county ordinance, or several at once — and which one gives you the strongest remedy is one of the first things we work out together.
Where a Palm Beach County Case Is Actually Decided
Almost every discrimination or retaliation case passes through an administrative agency before it reaches a judge, and the door you walk through shapes both your deadlines and what you can recover.
The agencies. Most claims start with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or the Florida Commission on Human Relations. EEOC charges from Palm Beach County are processed through the agency’s Miami District Office, whose territory takes in the county. Because Florida runs a worksharing agreement between the EEOC and the state agency, filing with one generally counts as filing with both. A claim under the county ordinance is filed separately, with the Palm Beach County Office of Equal Opportunity.
State court. Palm Beach County lies in Florida’s Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, whose main courthouse sits in downtown West Palm Beach; Florida Civil Rights Act cases are generally heard in its circuit civil division.
Federal court. Claims under Title VII, the ADA, the ADEA, the FMLA, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and 42 U.S.C. § 1981 are filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida and, when they arise in Palm Beach County, are handled at the federal courthouse in West Palm Beach.
Knowing how to move between all of these — the EEOC’s Miami office, the state agency, the county Office of Equal Opportunity, and both West Palm Beach courthouses — is the practical value a Palm Beach County employment lawyer adds.
Who Is Covered — and the Employee Counts That Decide It
Florida is an at-will state, so an employer can usually end a job for a good reason, a poor one, or none at all. At-will is not, however, permission to break the law, and a stack of statutes narrows what an employer may do — Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Florida Civil Rights Act (Fla. Stat. § 760.10), and the county ordinance.
Whether a given statute applies often turns on how many people the employer has. Title VII and the Florida Civil Rights Act generally start at 15 employees, the ADEA at 20, and the FMLA at 50 within a 75-mile radius; wage claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act and race claims under § 1981 carry no such headcount. If you are not sure your employer is big enough to be covered, that is one of the first things a phone call can settle.
The Filing Deadlines You Cannot Afford to Miss
Employment claims are governed by hard deadlines, and letting one lapse can end a strong case on the calendar alone. The ones that matter most for Palm Beach County workers:
- EEOC charge — 300 days from the adverse action, the deadline that applies in Florida because it is a deferral state. (The 180-day figure quoted for some other states is not Florida’s EEOC deadline.)
- FCHR complaint — 365 days from the adverse action — a separate clock from the EEOC’s that should never be merged with it.
- Palm Beach County ordinance complaint — 180 days from the discriminatory act, filed with the county Office of Equal Opportunity, running independently of the EEOC and FCHR deadlines.
- Right-to-sue letter — 90 days from the day you receive it to file suit.
- FLSA and FMLA — 2 years, or 3 where the violation was willful.
- Section 1981 race claims — 4 years, with no agency charge required first.
A few claims, including Florida’s private-sector whistleblower protections, require written notice to the employer before a lawsuit can be filed. If you suspect a clock is already running, sooner is always safer than later.
Representing Employees Across Palm Beach County
Palm Beach County is not one workforce but many — the resorts and hospitality employers along the coast, the hospital systems and medical offices, the school district and municipal governments, the agricultural operations out toward the Glades, and the professional firms of West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and Palm Beach Gardens. Wherever you work in the county, the protections and deadlines on this page apply the same way, and the consultation is free whether you are in Delray Beach, Jupiter, Boynton Beach, Wellington, or anywhere in between.
The Attorney You Would Be Working With
WLT Law Firm is led by Walwin “Wali” Taylor, a member of The Florida Bar who devotes his practice to the employee’s side of workplace disputes. He sits on the E-Board of Florida NELA, the state affiliate of the National Employment Lawyers Association — the national bar of attorneys who represent workers — and handles matters through the EEOC and FCHR process and in the Southern District of Florida.
What Working With Us Looks Like
- A free, confidential first call. You tell us what happened, we ask questions, and we tell you honestly what we see. It goes no further.
- A straight assessment. If the facts do not add up to a claim, we say so; if a deadline is near, you hear that too.
- A plan in plain English. The first step, the evidence that matters, and what a realistic path looks like.
- Fees may be contingent. Most employment matters are handled on contingency — no attorney’s fees up front — and where a statute allows it, a prevailing employee can recover fees from the employer. We put the arrangement in writing before you retain us.
The one thing we will never do is guarantee a result. No honest lawyer can, and any lawyer who does should give you pause.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between discrimination and retaliation?
Discrimination is being treated worse because of a protected trait — race, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, religion, or national origin. Retaliation is being punished for exercising a protected right, such as reporting discrimination or asking for an accommodation. A single case often includes both.
Does Palm Beach County have its own discrimination law?
Yes. The Palm Beach County Equal Employment Ordinance prohibits workplace discrimination within the county and is enforced by the county Office of Equal Opportunity. It reaches categories beyond the core federal list — including familial status, marital status, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression — and a county complaint must be filed within 180 days of the most recent discriminatory act.
How long do I have to file a claim in Palm Beach County?
As a general matter, 300 days for an EEOC charge, 365 days for the Florida Commission on Human Relations, 180 days for a Palm Beach County ordinance complaint, and 90 days to sue after a right-to-sue letter. Other claims run on their own clocks, so it is worth calling early.
What does it cost to speak with an employment lawyer?
Nothing for the first consultation. Most employment cases are handled on contingency, so there are no attorney’s fees up front, and in a successful case the employer can be ordered to pay them.
Speak With a West Palm Beach Employment Discrimination and Retaliation Lawyer
When something at work feels wrong, the least expensive move you can make is to ask. The call is free, the conversation stays private, and you will come away understanding your position better than before.
Toll-free: (866) 438-9254 (866-GET-WALI)
You can also read more about workplace retaliation in Florida and employment discrimination.
By Walwin Taylor
Last reviewed September 13, 2026.
This page is general information about Florida and federal employment law, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every situation is different — speak with a qualified attorney about your specific circumstances.