Florida’s New Minimum Wage Is Now In Effect

October 1, 2026

Florida’s minimum wage is now officially $15 per hour after the final scheduled $1 increase under a voter-approved constitutional amendment.

The milestone marks the culmination of a 2020 ballot initiative spearheaded by prominent Orlando attorney John Morgan. Under the approved amendment framework, the state’s baseline wage rose to $10 an hour on September 30, 2021, and increased by $1 on September 30 of each subsequent year until hitting the $15 mark.

Going forward, any further adjustments to the state minimum wage will be tied to inflation rather than set annual increments.

Tipped employees also saw a pay bump, with their direct cash wage increasing from $10.98 to $11.98 per hour. Under state law, employers may apply a tip credit toward the remainder of the full minimum wage requirement, provided the employee’s tips make up the difference.

By contrast, the federal minimum wage remains at $7.25 per hour, where it has sat unchanged since July 2009. Under federal guidelines, employers are required to pay tipped workers a direct minimum cash wage of just $2.13 per hour if tips equal the federal baseline.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under FRONT TOP