Issue Overview: Nov. 2, 2004, Florida voters approved the minimum wage constitutional amendment (Amendment 5) by slightly more than 70 percent. NFIB and the Coalition to Save Florida's Jobs were not pleased with the passage, although it did serve to underscore the incredible danger the constitutional amendment process poses to Florida's small businesses.
Passage of Amendment 5 means that starting May 2, 2005, all Florida employers must pay employees a minimum of $6.15 an hour, with an increase every year tied to the Consumer Price Index. Unless at some point in the future a constitutional amendment is passed to repeal this measure, Floridians can count on yearly wage increases.
NFIB Position: NFIB strongly opposed Amendment 5. Unfortunately, we lost, and the burden of implementing the amendment will fall to the entire business community. To be determined are: how to send annual notices out to every employer; what CPI will be used, and how to minimize the penalties and enforcement bureaucracy.
Issue Status: No bills have yet been filed to implement this amendment, but both the Senate and the House will handle the issue through their judiciary committees.
