Florida Minimum Wage Increases
Florida’s minimum wage is set to increase to $14 an hour on September 30, 2025, as part of a voter-mandated constitutional amendment that gradually raises the wage to $15 by 2026. This marks the fifth consecutive $1 increase under Amendment 2, which was approved by nearly 61% of Florida voters in 2020. The amendment outlines a clear timetable: starting in 2021, the minimum wage increases by $1 every year until it reaches $15, followed by automatic adjustments for inflation beginning in 2027.
This year’s increase will also raise the minimum wage for tipped employees—such as servers and bartenders—who currently earn $9.98 an hour, to $10.98 per hour, as Florida maintains a $3.02 tip credit. According to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, which oversees wage enforcement, all employers must display the updated wage posters and adjust their payrolls by September 30 to remain in compliance with state law.
“This increase is the direct result of Florida voters’ decision to gradually increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour,” said Helen Acevedo, labor reporter at WLRN. “It’s a constitutional obligation—not a policy that state lawmakers can override.”
Amendment 2 has had a significant impact on Florida’s low-wage workforce. According to the Florida Policy Institute, over 2.5 million workers—roughly one in four employees statewide—have seen direct or indirect benefits from the annual wage increases. The largest share of those affected are women, Black, and Hispanic workers, and those in high-cost urban areas like Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Orlando.
Advocates argue the increase will help reduce poverty and boost consumer spending. During the 2020 campaign to pass Amendment 2, supporters included small business owners like Veronica Menin and Diego Tosoni of Miami’s Love Life Café. “Raising the minimum wage will increase consumer spending—and that helps our business and the businesses around us,” the couple told Florida For a Fair Wage, the group that spearheaded the ballot initiative.
However, critics of the amendment continue to warn of unintended consequences. The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA), one of the most vocal opponents of the $15 wage law, argues that annual increases place pressure on small businesses still recovering from inflation and post-COVID disruptions. “Business owners will be forced to find solutions to control costs,” the FRLA said in a public statement, “including reducing the number of employees, reducing hours, or seeking labor alternatives like automation.”
Despite these concerns, the wage hike is locked into the Florida Constitution. The state is legally required to hit $15 per hour by September 30, 2026. After that, minimum wage adjustments will be tied to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), a common inflation metric used by the federal government.
South Florida, with its heavy concentration of tourism and service-based jobs, is expected to feel the effects of this increase most acutely. Local advocacy groups say it’s long overdue. “In Miami-Dade, $13 an hour simply doesn’t cut it when rent is skyrocketing and groceries are going up every month,” said a spokesperson from the Miami Workers Center. “This move to $14 is progress—but we need more protections for working families.”
Florida now joins a small group of states inching toward a $15 minimum wage by statute or ballot initiative. And while the federal minimum wage remains frozen at $7.25 an hour, unchanged since 2009, Florida’s voter-approved law has catapulted the state into the national spotlight for wage reform.
Florida employers are advised to prepare now for the September 30 change. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity will update the official minimum wage poster later this summer, and all businesses will be required to post it prominently in the workplace. Workers who suspect violations can file complaints directly with the department, which handles wage enforcement and investigations.
