Florida Approved $15 Minimum Wage

By Theresa Morrissey, Staff Writer

The 2020 general election brought new leadership and legislation for Americans. Florida made history by approving the Second Amendment, a $15 minimum wage initiative. The current Florida minimum wage is $8.56. The Second Amendment allows the wage to increase by roughly $1 every year until 2026 when the wage will reach $15 an hour. The Second Amendment passed with 60.8% approval, narrowly reaching the 60% supermajority that Florida amendments need to be enacted. The passing of the Second Amendment was a surprise to many as Joe Biden – a supporter of the $15 minimum wage – lost the state while the Second Amendment passed with a supermajority. 

Floridians who attend Post were excited about the Second Amendment.

“I do agree with raising the minimum wage to $15,” sophomore musical theatre major Lucas Vazquez said. 

“I totally agree with [Amendment 2],” sophomore musical theatre major Alexis Cid said. “The cost of living in Florida is so high, [the minimum wage] was $8.56 before and that was just unrealistic.” 

Florida is only the eighth state in the nation to raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour, joining California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. While the Second Amendment was passed, it’s unclear if the amendment will be enacted as it was stated on the ballot or if legislation will be introduced that undermines the amendment. In 2018, Floridians passed the Fourth Amendment, which garnered 64% support to restore voting rights to all ex-felons who had completed their sentences. The following year, Republican legislators passed a bill that excluded felons who owed fines or fees – disenfranchising 775,000 former felons from voting. While the question remains of whether the Second Amendment will follow its stated provisions, the first raise from the Second Amendment will be seen in Sept. 2021 when the minimum wage raises from $8.56 to $10.

Amendment 2 was strongly supported by the Florida Fight for $15 – a campaign to raise the minimum wage to $15.