Mitch Perry
Efforts in recent years by Florida Democrats to have Florida’s minimum wage raised have gone nowhere, and the odds that may change in 2016 don’t look promising.
Last week in Tallahassee, Miami Democratic state Sen. Dwight Bullard and Orlando state Rep. Victor Torres announced their legislation that would raise the state’s minimum wage from the current $8.05 figure to $15 an hour. They also called on their colleague to join them on the “Minimum Wage Challenge.”
“I look forward to joining other legislators in the Minimum Wage Challenge so they can understand what it feels like to live on poverty wages in today’s world,” said Bullard, who said he’ill take the challenge set to start Monday. It won’t be the first time for the Miami Democrat. In 2013 he took a similar challenge with Broward County Commissioner Marty Kiar, and in 2014 did it during the legislative session.
The difference between then and now was that Bullard was attempting to raise the minimum wage from its previous rate of below $8.00 to $10.10. Now the rate that is being called for in Florida and across the nation is $15. That coincides with the Service Employees International Union’s call for fast-food workers, adjunct professors and daycare workers also to get $15 an hour.
“Increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour is needed to help Florida’s hard-working families, otherwise they will have little chances to improve their quality of life,” Torres said in a prepared statement. “In addition, raising wages has proven to be good for the economy at large. Out of the 25 states that have in any way increased their minimum wage, almost all of them experienced job growth.”
The Minimum Wage Challenge will begin with press conferences in Tampa, Orlando, Miami and Fort Lauderdale and include Florida legislators, workers from all industries and community activists who are united in the fight to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Here’s the list of Democratic legislators who will participate:
State Senators:
Dwight Bullard, D-Miami
Jeffrey Clemens, D-Lake Worth
State House Representatives:
Victor Torres, D-Orlando
José Javier Rodríguez, D-Miami
Ed Narain, D-Tampa
Amanda Murphy, D-New Port Richey
John Cortes, D-Kissimmee
Bobby Dubois, D-Fort Lauderdale
Kristen Jacobs, D-Coconut Creek
Dwight Dudley, D-St. Petersburg
Barbara Watson, D-Miami Gardens
Sharon Pritchett, D-Miramar
Darryl Rousson, D-St. Petersburg
Evan Jenne, D-Hollywood
Cynthia A. Stafford, D-Opa Locka
David Kerner, D-Palm Springs
Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee
