Power Design donated to the political committees of key legislative players but said it had nothing to do with its writing.
A St. Petersburg company that paid millions to settle a wage theft case is pushing a controversial bill that would prohibit local governments from setting a minimum wage higher than the state’s current $10 an hour for employees and contractors.
The company, Power Design, has donated tens of thousands of dollars to the political committees of key legislators, including the bill’s sponsors. And the company is tied to a mysterious group lobbying on behalf of the bill.
A Power Design spokesperson said the company didn’t write the bill but cares about its goal.
“The genesis of SB 1124 was a group of developers and construction tradesman efforts to rectify the impact that local wage ordinances are having on residential projects (especially affordable housing projects) and entry-level positions,” David Redden, a Power Design spokesperson, said in an email.
He said the group pushing the bill includes the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Associated Builders and Contractors, Associated General Contractors and “nearly every client we know that have had projects subject to these ordinances.”
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