Starting September 30, 2025, workers across Florida will see their paychecks get a little bigger. The state’s minimum wage is going up from $13 to $14 an hour, part of the plan set out in the Florida Amendment 2.
Voters approved that amendment during the 2020 U.S. elections to make sure workers get steady raises every year. The idea is simple: if the cost of living and inflation keep climbing, wages should climb too. That’s why people in Florida decided they weren’t going to wait around any longer.
Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity confirmed the change and keeps reminding everyone—workers and businesses—that the state is on its way to a $15 minimum wage by 2026. When you compare that to the federal minimum wage, which has been stuck at $7.25 since 2009, Florida’s progress feels huge.
Who gets the $14 minimum rise?
The raise applies to most jobs covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act—the federal law that sets wage rules for part-time and full-time workers. That means people in restaurants, retail, and service jobs around Florida, which are industries where Latin American immigrants play a major role.
Tipped workers will benefit too. Their cash wage will increase to $10.98 per hour, with tips filling the rest.
It’s clear how quickly things have changed. In 2020, Florida’s minimum was $10 an hour, this September it will be $14, and just next year it will hit $15. For workers making low incomes, those extra dollars add up not just on paper, but in daily life.
It looks like a big change—yes, progress has been made—but it’s actually just what’s fair for the people. Inflation has been rising for a long time, even more since Covid, so if inflation keeps going up, shouldn’t the minimum wage go up too?
Why voters backed the change
Why did voters support the Florida Amendment 2 with nearly 60% approval? Well, the answer to that is more than simple: because the math wasn’t adding up. The cost of living, like rent, groceries, transportation, was rising fast, and wages weren’t keeping pace.
The federal minimum wage hadn’t moved in over 15 years, It’s still $7.25 an hour, and that’s just not enough to live on, even as families across the United States stretched their budgets thinner and thinner, which is nearly an insult.
By approving gradual increases, Floridians sent a clear message: workers deserve paychecks that reflect today’s economy, not yesterday’s.
For many families, this change is about more than numbers. It’s about paying the electric bill on time, affording healthier food, or maybe saving a little for the future. That extra dollar per hour can make a very real difference for many.
By September 2026, the state’s minimum wage will reach $15 per hour. After that, Florida will tie future increases to inflation, so wages don’t fall behind again.