TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) - Legislation filed for the 2016 session would raise the minimum wage in Florida. Some lawmakers are calling for the state's lowest-paid workers to be paid $15 per hour.
Several low-wage employees were at the state capitol Thursday, walking the halls and asking lawmakers to support the proposal.
Patricia Walker is a home health-care worker in Tampa, assisting elderly people to take care of their everyday needs. She says her job is worth more than the 10-dollars per hour she gets paid now: "Everybody needs somebody to take care of them. When we get older, somebody is going to have to take care of us. Because I'm that passionate about it, I do this. But, I also need to take care of my family."
Opponents of increasing the minimum wage say it would lead to layoffs and force businesses to pass the increased cost along to customers in the way of higher prices for products.
However, State Representative Victor Torres disagrees. He's sponsoring the house bill to increase wages: "Those critics saying that raising the minimum wage destroys jobs…no. This is a scare tactic that I feel is being used against people who work hard."
Previous proposals to increase the minimum wage have not moved forward in the legislature.
The state's minimum wage, which gradually increases each year, hit $8.05 per hour in January.
