I am employed as a merchandiser in Florida my company issued all employees a laptop computer to perform company tasks . I was working in a store and had the laptop locked to a shopping cart, I was working in the area had seen the cart 45min to an hour earlier noticed the cart was missing I searched the department I was in the store and the parking lot and could not locate the cart so whoever stole it took the shopping cart. I called the police and reported that it and also reported it to my employer. My employer indicated to me that I would be responsible for paying for the cost of the laptop and that it would be deducted from my paycheck. A couple of my collegues told me that there was a law in Florida or at the Federal leve that prohibits an employer from charging an employee for stolen property. Is this correct?? If it is correct where can I find the Florida or US statute regarding this issue ?
Thanks in advance for the help.

Federal law leaves the issue of deductions to the states. Unfortunately, Florida law is silent on the issue of what deductions are allowed and not allowed (as they are on most issues; Florida wage and hour laws are nearly nonexistent). Legally, therefore, the company could deduct the cost of the property from your paycheck because there is no law prohibiting them from doing so. The only caveat is that they may not deduct an amount that would bring you below minimum wage for all hours worked in the pay period. If you were in most other states, I would have better news for you. Sorry.