Republican-Backed Bill Could Let Companies Cut Wages for Thousands of Workers Across Florida

The bill has been strongly criticized by labor unions and Florida’s counties, arguing that it would hurt some of the state’s lowest-paid workers, even as the cost of living continues to rise.

Tens of thousands of workers across Florida, from airport workers to city hall employees, could see their paychecks slashed under a bill advancing through the state Legislature.

The Republican-backed bill (House Bill 917) proposes to undo “living wage” ordinances requiring companies that get government contracts to pay their workers higher wages or better benefits. This year, the legislation has the support of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and top GOP lawmakers.

Since 1999, cities and counties across the Sunshine State have passed ordinances requiring their contractors to pay employees higher than the state’s minimum wage. Currently, the state minimum wage is $11 an hour, set to rise each year until it reaches $15 an hour in 2026.

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The “living wage” ordinances adopted in communities like Miami, St. Petersburg and Gainesville have been a boon to low pay workers.

However, the proposed legislation would prohibit any city or county in Florida from using its contracting procedures to make contractors pay workers more than the state minimum wage or provide benefits other than the minimum required under state law. If the bill becomes law, it will apply to future contracts, not current contracts.

“This Is Not Acceptable”

Just in Miami-Dade County, the first Florida municipality to pass such an ordinance in 1999, the bill would strip living wage protections from an estimated 16,250 working families, according to Jess McCarty, a lobbyist for the county.

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The bill has been publicly and strongly criticized by labor unions and Florida’s counties arguing that it would hurt some of the state’s lowest-paid workers, even as the cost of living continues to rise.

Rich Templin of the Florida AFL-CIO, a federation of unions, says higher wages benefit local economies.

“More money in pockets, more money in cash registers, more money in local economies. That’s why these ordinances are in place,” he told the House Commerce Committee, which approved the proposed legislation Tuesday.

Jackson Oberlink, with the advocacy group Florida Rising, also opposes the bill. “Workers who are currently paid $12, $15, $17 an hour would see their wages slashed to the state minimum wage of $11 an hour,” he said. “This is unacceptable.”