Many Florida workers had their pay jump by $1 Saturday as the state’s minimum wage increased to $12 an hour.
It’s part of a 2020 ballot measure, which raises the state’s minimum wage by $1 every Sept. 30 until it reaches $15. At the current rate, the minimum wage will reach its goal by 2026.
When Floridians approved the measure, the state’s minimum wage stood at $8.56.
The most recent raise puts Florida well above the federal minimum wage at $7.25 an hour. It also dwarfs the minimum wage of its northern neighbor Georgia, which has a minimum wage of $5.15 an hour, the lowest in the country.
The increase runs counter to the state’s conservative-dominated initiatives and its governor’s intentions toward the minimum wage. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis opposed the initiative when it was on the ballot in 2020 and is against a boost to the federal minimum wage.
Increasing the minimum wage has grown more popular as inflation skyrockets and Americans see their wages stagnate.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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