Florida's minimum wage hits $15 — and the finish line moves with it
The $15 floor took effect September 30, the last step of the staircase voters approved in 2020. About 1.29 million Floridians were earning less — but a living wage here still runs well above the new floor.
- $15 an hour since September 30; $11.98 for tipped workers.
- An estimated 1.29 million Floridians were earning under $15 before the bump.
- Living-wage estimates run $19.57 (single adult) to $34.10 (two adults, one child).
- From 2027, the wage adjusts with inflation instead of by amendment.
Florida's minimum wage rose to $15 an hour on September 30, the final step of the staircase voters wrote into the constitution with Amendment 2 in 2020. Tipped workers' base pay is $11.98. An estimated 1.29 million Floridians were earning less than $15 before the change, and the first full paychecks at the new rate are landing now.
The finish line moved, and so did everything else. Labor is a cost of doing business, so a higher floor nudges prices up — and higher prices are the very thing the next raise is chasing. Living-wage estimates for Florida still run from about $19.57 an hour for a single adult to $34.10 for two adults with a child.
None of that makes the squeeze imaginary. Florida is not the cheap state it used to be, and a fast-growing population keeps supply-and-demand pressure on housing and everything else. From 2027 the wage adjusts with inflation each year — the snake gets fed on a schedule.