State minimum wage rises 10 cents to start the new year

US state of florida flag with transparent dollar banknotes in ba
Florida's minimum wage is moving up from $8.46 per hour to $8.56 per hour.

With the beginning of a new year, Florida’s minimum wage is moving up from $8.46 per hour to $8.56 per hour.

That places the state’s minimum wage more than $1.30 above the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

A 2004 amendment set the state’s minimum wage above the federal level. That number rises annually with inflation, which prompted a 10-cent bump from 2019 to 2020.

The minimum wage for tipped employees in 2020 will be $5.54 per hour.

The wage floor will be a hot issue here in Florida moving forward in 2020. Amendment 2, dubbed the “Fair Wage Amendment,” will appear on the ballot in 2020.

The measure would raise the state’s minimum wage all the way to $15 per hour by 2026. After that mark is hit, the state’s minimum wage will continue to rise in concert with inflation.

Amendment 2 is being backed by high-powered lawyer John Morgan. In October, backers of the measure secured the required 766,200 signatures to qualify for a 2020 ballot placement. In mid-December, the Supreme Court signed off on the proposed language, making its appearance on the Nov. 2020 ballot official.

Several business owners have pushed back on the measure, arguing it will lead to staff cuts and a reduction of hours for existing workers.

Polling on the issue has been mixed. But with nearly a full year left to go, and plenty of ads and advocacy for and against the measure, those numbers could swing further in either direction come November.

Ryan Nicol

Ryan Nicol covers news out of South Florida for Florida Politics. Ryan is a native Floridian who attended undergrad at Nova Southeastern University before moving on to law school at Florida State. After graduating with a law degree he moved into the news industry, working in TV News as a writer and producer, along with some freelance writing work. If you'd like to contact him, send an email to [email protected].



#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, A.G. Gancarski, Anne Geggis, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Gray Rohrer, Jesse Scheckner, Christine Sexton, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704




Sign up for Sunburn


Categories