Ron DeSantis points to Florida as minimum wage model, though he opposed ‘Fight for $15’ amendment

Image via Ron DeSantis campaign

Gov. Ron DeSantis is telling Iowans that there shouldn’t be national regulation of the minimum wage, pointing to Florida as an example.

But back before Florida voters passed a constitutional amendment setting the stage for a $15 an hour minimum by 2026, the Governor opposed it.

The contrast between comments made by DeSantis as a presidential candidate and ones he made before launching a national run is worth noting.

In Waukee on Thursday, DeSantis noted that “voters approved a minimum wage that’s higher than the federal minimum wage,” a move “that was controversial when it passed because people were concerned it could cost jobs.”

Indeed, DeSantis was among those who were “concerned,” saying at the time the proposal would “cause big, big upheavals for the restaurant industry” and said that if people regretted the move, they “literally would have to go back and do another constitutional amendment.”

But if there was a need to do another amendment, Iowans wouldn’t have known it, given his framing of Florida wages.

“I think what’s happened is our economy so outperformed the rest of the country that we have rising wages in Florida. And it’s real wages. It’s not just because of inflation,” DeSantis said.

He credited having “E-Verify in place” and “a legal workforce” as the things really driving Florida’s wage growth.

“That helps because you can’t have illegal aliens undercutting American workers, particularly for blue-collar jobs,” he said.

“So we’ve shown, I think, the way to have higher wages is through sound policy, not necessarily dictating it from the government. Even though we do have that in our Constitution, most of the wages in Florida, even at entry level, are far in excess of that.”