Floridians who earn the minimum wage received a raise this week as a constitutional amendment that Florida voters approved last year goes into effect. As of Thursday, the minimum wage rose from $8.65 per hour to $10, the most significant percentage increase in the state’s history.
Pay hikes continue at the rate of $1 per year for the next five years until the minimum hourly wage hits $15.
Many of those receiving raises are hospitality and retail workers, but many restaurants and stores raised their pay even before the state required them to. The shortage of workers during the pandemic led to higher starting pay and raises to attract and keep workers.
The new minimum wage will go further in some areas of the state, and workers living in the state’s more expensive regions could especially still struggle to make ends meet. The law could also force some companies to raise prices to cover the higher payroll cost.
Guests:
- Samantha Padgett, general counsel for Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association
- Ali Bustamante, a researcher with Florida International University’s Research Institute On Social and Economic Policy
- Charles Caulkins with the Florida Chamber of Commerce
Immigration fight pits DeSantis vs. Biden
This week, the state filed a lawsuit against President Joe Biden’s administration, claiming his immigration policy along the Southern border is illegal.
Gov. Ron DeSantis is ordering law enforcement agencies to gather information on undocumented immigrants living in Florida and not to spend money assisting immigrants unless required by law.
That's after this month, a Florida judge struck down key portions of the state’s “sanctuary city ban." In Miami, U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom said a part of the ban “was enacted based on biased and unreliable data generated by anti-immigrant hate groups” despite having a “chilling and disparate impact” on immigration communities.
Judge Bloom also said the ban violates the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution because it was adopted with discriminatory motives.
Guests:
- Sheriff Rick Staly of Flagler County
- Thomas Kennedy, political director for the Florida Immigrant Coalition
Florida Roundup Associate Producer Katherine Hobbs can be reached at khobbs@wjct.org or on Twitter at @KatherineGHobbs.
