Q: I just got my sample ballot for the November 3rd election and I noticed there’s an amendment to the Florida constitution proposing an increase to the current minimum wage from $8.56 to $10 an hour starting September 2021, and then increasing it by a dollar a year until reaches $15 in 2027; thereafter the increases would be based on inflation.
Can you summarize the pros and cons as you see them and were you land on this?
A: In general I am not in favor of using amendments to the state constitution for something that should be done through legislation. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been possible because the state legislature won’t even entertain the possibility of increasing the minimum wage.
I think the current minimum wage is too low and should be increased, but instead of the proposed statewide increase I would have preferred if cities and localities got to choose how best to increase minimum wage for their own areas – for instance a small town in the panhandle has a different local economy than a mega city like Miami. But the legislature passed a law preventing local governments from doing so.
So this amendment is a way to circumvent the legislature, and if it passes –it must have support from over 60% of voters– leave them no choice but to adopt something that has popular support. This was the case when Florida voters passed constitutional amendments to limit class size in 2002 and with restoring voting rights to felons in 2018.
The Pros –
- It will lift struggling families of the service class from poverty. If you’ve ever worked at a food bank you might have seen the working poor in their work uniforms lining up to pick up food. Florida is a state that relies on a tourist economy that depends on many low wage workers and they deserve better.
- Unlike their wealthier counterparts who might save any extra wages, poor workers usually spend new income on goods and services – and this will stimulates the local economy.
The Cons –
- It could certainly cost jobs, reduce worker hours and raise costs all around. Like the ballot says in capped bold letters, this will cost the state 16 million dollars next year and many more millions in the following years.
- Even though the increase is spread over 5-6 years, it will still be a burden on small business owners. One dollar per year for 5 years seems steep to me, I wish the cap had topped-out at $12.
Having said all that I voted Yes on Amendment 2.
A very good explainer can be found here.
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