Florida Chamber of Commerce Opposes Placing America’s First Statewide $15 Minimum Wage Mandate in Florida’s Constitution

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Megan Sweat, Media Relations Manager
msweat@flchamber.com
850.521.1258

Florida Chamber of Commerce Opposes Placing America’s First Statewide $15 Minimum Wage Mandate in Florida’s Constitution

The Amendment 2 mandate would hurt seniors, part time workers, local businesses and young adults in poverty who need training jobs

TALLAHASSEE, FL (September 15, 2020) – The Florida Chamber of Commerce continues to unify Florida’s business community and is helping to raise awareness to the negative impacts of Amendment 2 – constitutionally mandating America’s first $15 statewide minimum wage.

If Amendment 2 passes, Florida will be the only state in America with a constitutionally-mandated $15 minimum wage, raising minimum wage to $10 per hour in 2021, and increasing by a dollar each year until it reaches $15 in 2026. After that, future minimum wage increases would be adjusted annually for inflation, eventually reaching $20, $25 and higher with no cap, regardless of a small employer’s ability to pay. Amendment 2 hurts the very people the special interests behind this amendment claims it helps. The forced cost of living adjustments mean Florida likely will have the highest minimum wage in the nation long after 2026. Further, we know this amendment will cause Florida to lose hundreds of thousands of jobs, drive up inflation, and cost Florida taxpayers more than $700 million in lost revenue.

“Amendment 2 is bad for Florida and worse for Floridians. Equity gaps already exist in America, and in Florida. Amendment 2 would only serve to create larger gaps for entry level employees, many of whom are minorities, seniors, young adults and re-entry workers,” said Mark Wilson, President and CEO, Florida Chamber of Commerce. “In these difficult times, we must work to secure Florida’s future and defeat this costly amendment which would create job loss, hurt local businesses, increase the cost of living for seniors, and drive good jobs elsewhere or even to automation.”

With millions of dollars being spent by personal injury trial lawyers to influence Floridians’ vote on Amendment 2, Floridians should be aware and focus on economic growth opportunities that move Florida forward.  We all want Floridians to have access to $50,000 careers, but this is not the pathway to success. For over a year, the Florida Chamber has been informing our members of this dangerous amendment, including through our website with facts, shareable graphics, and a social media toolkit as well as a digital ad highlighting its opposition to this costly and devastating amendment. The website and digital ad can be viewed here.

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Established in 1916 as Florida’s first statewide business advocacy organization, the Florida Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business and the state’s largest federation of employers, chambers of commerce and associations aggressively representing small and large businesses from every industry and every region. The Florida Chamber works within all branches of government to affect those changes set forth in the annual Florida Business Agenda, and which are seen as critical to secure Florida’s future. The Florida Chamber works closely with its Florida Political Operations and the Florida Chamber Foundation. Visit www.FloridaChamber.com for more information.