Florida and Several of Its Cities will Ride the 2017 Wave of Minimum Wage Hikes
During the course of 2017, 21 states including Florida, plus the District of Columbia (D.C.), are increasing their minimum wage rates for non-exempt employees. Florida, along with 18 other states, increased its minimum wage as of January 1, 2017. As discussed here, Florida increased its minimum wage to $8.10. Maryland, Oregon and D.C. are set to raise their respective minimum rates in July 2017.
Several cities in Florida are also set to raise minimum wages above Florida’s minimum wage. For example, as of October 1, 2017, the City of West Palm Beach’s minimum wage rises by $1.00 per hour to a new minimum of $14.25, and then to $15 in fiscal year 2018-2019. On January 1, 2018, the City of Miami Beach’s minimum wage is set to increase to $10.31 and ultimately to $13.31 over a four-year cycle. There are other cities in Florida that either have approved or are also contemplating similar increases.
This is an important juncture for Florida employers, especially those who employ low-wage workers affected by the new minimum wage changes, to carefully audit their pay practices to ensure legal compliance. In addition to federal, state and even local minimum wage laws, many Florida counties and cities (for example Miami-Dade, West Palm Beach, and St. Petersburg) have wage theft ordinances designed to protect employee’s wages. Employee claims alleging violations of local, state, or federal wage and hour laws can be costly and significantly affect a company’s bottom line. Despite minimum wage increases at the state and local level, the federal minimum wage has remained stagnant at $7.25 per hour since 2009. Employers should be aware that where several different minimum wages may apply, the employer must pay the higher wage rate.
2.2% of Florida wage earners, or approximately 187,000 employees, are expected to receive pay raises due to the state minimum wage adjustment. About 4.4 million employees are expected to benefit from state minimum wage increases nationwide.
The states’ minimum wage increases and resultant minimums vary quite dramatically when compared on a national scale. At the low-end, for example, is Florida’s five cents ($0.05) per hour increase which raises the state minimum wage from $8.05 to $8.10. This matches the five-cent increase in Alaska (to $9.80), in Ohio (to $8.15 ) and in Missouri (to $7.70). By contrast, at the high-end of the spectrum is Arizona with a $1.95 per hour increase to a new minimum wage rate of $10.00, followed by Maine with a $1.50 per hour increase to a new minimum of $9.00, Washington state with a $1.53 per hour increase to a new minimum of $11, and Massachusetts with a $1.00 per hour increase to a new minimum of $11 per hour.