Florida’s minimum wage is set to increase later this month. But some policy analysts warn that Florida needs a stronger mechanism to actually enforce it.
On September 30, Florida’s minimum wage will rise from $10 per hour to $11, under a ballot initiative passed by Florida voters in 2020. Under that measure, Florida’s minimum wage will gradually rise $1 each year, until it reaches $15 by Sept. 2026.
Some of Florida’s lowest-paid workers could see their earnings increase this month, amid rising inflation and skyrocketing rent that’s pushing working people out. But just having a minimum wage law on the books doesn’t guarantee it’ll always be enforced.
While Florida’s had a state minimum wage higher than the federal minimum wage since 2005, it lacks the capacity to enforce it. That’s at least in part because Florida’s state Department of Labor and Economic Security was dismantled by the legislature in 2002 at the behest of then-Governor Jeb Bush, in one of his most grievous attacks on Florida workers.
According to the Economic Policy Institute, Florida is one of just a handful of states nationwide that lacks a state labor department, which — prior to its abolition — had tracked workforce statistics, housed a hotline for workers to learn about their rights, and had served as a mechanism for enforcing wage and hour laws.
After its dismantlement, those responsibilities were — in theory — meant to be spread across various state agencies. In actuality, experts say this...
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