Red tape is holding back Florida's economy. A new report by the Institute for Justice, "Florida's Dirty Dozen," spotlights 12 harmful and ridiculous laws that burden small businesses.

Many of these laws are occupational licenses, where someone needs to obtain permission from the government before they can start their own business or work in an occupation. In the past, licensure was reserved for careers like becoming a doctor or a lawyer. Back in the 1950s, only about one out of every 20 workers in the United States needed a license to work. Over the years, that number has soared to one out of every three workers. Now would-be auctioneers, barbers, interior designers and make-up artists all require a permission slip from the state.

These occupations have costly requirements. Before they can legally cut or trim hair, would-be barbers have to complete at least 1,200 hours of training at a barber college. Schooling can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000. That is a huge barrier to entry for aspiring entrepreneurs, especially in this current economic climate.

Moreover, under Florida law, being paid to cut hair without a license is actually a crime.. In a series of raids that made national headlines in late 2010, armed officers for the Orange County Sheriff's Office arrested 35 people for "barbering without an active license." Conducted without warrants and in conjunction with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, police swept through barbershops owned by African Americans and Hispanics. Cops handcuffed barbers and ordered customers out of the shops. One officer even had his gun drawn during the raids.

Other occupations have regulations that are wildly unrelated to any potential health and safety risks. A cosmetologist must complete 1,200 hours of coursework. For a prospective interior designer, it is six years of education. Incredibly, the license requirements for these occupations are more onerous than becoming an emergency medical technician. In Florida, EMTs need only about a month of training before they can be licensed.

Unlike what EMTs face, applying make-up or tastefully decorating a living room is not a life-or-death situation. However, apparently, some interior designers believe so. In a story worthy of an Onion article, in 2011, one interior designer testified before the Florida House that deregulating her trade could contribute to 88,000 deaths per year..

If that were the case, unlicensed interior designers would kill more than twice as many Americans as car crashes every year. That would also be news to the 47 states that do not license the occupation. No wonder Florida has the fourth most burdensome licensing laws in the entire nation, according to "License to Work," a study also published by the Institute for Justice.

Then there are other regulations on the books that are just downright baffling. The Sunshine State is just one of a handful of states that bans 64-ounce growlers (the industry-standard size). Growlers are reusable, glass jugs that have seen a renaissance among craft beer aficionados. Bars or microbreweries fill them straight from the tap. With growlers, consumers save money on their favorite beers while breweries enjoy lower packaging costs, widening their distribution.

Yet Florida's growler prohibition is a buzzkill for the state's craft beer industry. Fortunately, a reform bill (HB 283)) is already advancing in the House..

As for other burdensome restrictions, the Florida legislature has a special incentive to curb government intrusion. Legislators introduce so many laws they are limited from filing more than six bills each session. But if they introduce a bill that would only repeal or delete an existing law, that "repealer" does not count towards their bill introduction limit. Rather than piling on even more regulations (Florida passes about 300 new laws every year), repealers encourage legislators and citizens to focus more on undoing nonsensical laws.

To create new jobs and restore common sense, the Florida legislature needs to clean house on the dirty dozen.

Nick Sibilla is a writer at the Institute for Justice. The full report, "Florida's Dirty Dozen," can be read online at http://www.ij.org/FlaDirtyDozen