TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Florida's minimum age will increase in the years ahead after voters said yes to Amendment 2 on the ballot.
Currently, Florida's minimum wage is $8.56 per hour.
Amendment 2 will nearly double that in the years to come, making Florida the eighth state to do so.
By the end of September in 2026, businesses will have to raise their minimum wage to the $15 per hour standard.
It will happen gradually each year, beginning in September of 2021, when the minimum wage will move to $10 per hour. After that, it will increase by $1 each year until 2026, when it reaches $15.
There are mixed feelings about the move. One local business says will create more issues for businesses already struggling in a pandemic.
"My concern would be if you set the floor at $15, where's the ceiling?"
Attorney John Morgan says paying people a higher minimum wage will keep and attract higher-quality workers, helping businesses all around.
"Pay your people fairly you'll attract better people, you won't have turnover, and you'll make more money doing the right thing," said Morgan.
The amendment needed just 60 percent of Florida's vote to make this happen and won by a small 1 percent margin with 61 percent.
