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Florida Increased Minimum Wage Issue On Verge Of Hitting Ballot Threshold

Left to right: US Rep. Matt Gaetz, John Morgan, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez.
Christian Simmons
/
WMFE
Left to right: US Rep. Matt Gaetz, John Morgan, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez.

Backers of a proposed constitutional amendment that would gradually increase Florida’s minimum wage to $15 an hour are on the verge of submitting enough petition signatures to get on the November 2020 ballot.

The political committee Florida For A Fair Wage had submitted 763,330 valid petition signatures to the state as of mid-day Monday, just under the 766,200-signature threshold to reach the ballot, according to the Florida Division of Elections website.

Political committees face a February deadline for submitting signatures.

Florida For A Fair Wage, led by prominent Orlando attorney John Morgan, also needs the state Supreme Court to sign off on its proposed ballot wording before the minimum-wage increase could go before voters.

The proposed amendment would increase the state’s minimum wage to $10 an hour on Sept. 30, 2021 and increase it by $1 each year until it hits $15 an hour on Sept. 30, 2026.

The state’s minimum wage this year is $8.46 an hour.