Florida’s minimum wage rises from $14 to $15 an hour on Wednesday, Sept. 30, completing the last of the annual dollar increases voters approved in a 2020 constitutional amendment. The wage started at $10 in September 2021 and stepped up a dollar each year. For tipped workers, employers must now pay at least $11.98 an hour, with tips expected to cover the remaining $3.02 to reach the $15 minimum.
The change arrives while the Suncoast is still navigating cost-of-living pressure. Rachel Hammond, a manager at Evelyn & Arthur in Sarasota, says the raise helps staff keep up. Sarasota resident Chris Morrison sees the other side of it, worrying that higher labor costs will lead businesses to raise prices. He says he’s already cut back on eating out because the cost no longer feels worth it.
For hundreds of thousands of Florida workers, the paycheck gets a little bigger this week, while local employers recalculate schedules, menus, and margins. The amendment’s phased raises are finished, but the question it was meant to answer is still very much alive on the Suncoast. Do you think $15 an hour goes far enough in Sarasota? Tell us on our Facebook page.
