Tens of thousands of workers could see changes to their wages if Florida bill passes

Tens of thousands of Floridians could see changes in their pay under legislation moving in the Republican-controlled Legislature.

The proposed legislation — which has the backing of some of the most powerful business groups in the state — would strip the ability of counties and cities to set wage standards for private companies they hire for publicly-funded work that go beyond state regulations.

Local governments would still be able to dictate what they pay city and county employees, but the measure would block them from controlling what contractors pay their employees. Counties, for example, would not be able to require contractors to pay more than the state’s minimum wage — which is currently set at $12 per hour and is expected to increase to $15 an hour by September 2026.

Eleven municipalities — including Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties as well as the cities of Miami Beach and St. Petersburg — currently have ordinances that would be impacted by the proposal, state Rep. Tiffany Esposito, R-Fort Myers, the sponsor of the House Bill 433, said during a committee hearing on Thursday.

The bill is now ready for the House floor.

Will workers get paid less?

When asked if the measure would lead to pay cuts, Esposito said those decisions would be up to private employers.

“If they want high-quality employees, they are going to have to pay accordingly,” Esposito said. “They could still very much pay above the minimum wage if they choose so, it is just not mandated.”

Esposito, however, said the bill would continue to give local governments the authority to determine what they pay city and county employees because she wants to ensure they are “able to remain competitive in their ability to hire.”

In addition to preempting wage ordinances, the proposed measure would also block any city or county from setting standards to protect workers from the increasing risk of extreme heat. The wide-ranging bill — the latest in a string of bills moving in the Legislature that aim to preempt local control — has drawn criticism from workers’ rights advocates and Democrats.

Most of Democrats’ criticism has touched on the idea that the state should not restrict local government’s ability to determine what is a fair wage for workers in their communities.

“In Miami-Dade County, it is unaffordable to live. At least 30,000 families will be impacted by this bill,” state Rep. Ashley Gantt, D-Miami, said earlier this month when the bill was being considered in committee. “This bill shows the people of Florida that they don’t matter and I hope they show up to the voting polls and show that they do matter.”

Miami-Dade’s ordinance applies to companies with contracts with the county worth at least $100,000. It ensures more than 28,000 employees, including healthcare professionals, airport workers and custodians, are making at least $15.03 per hour with health benefits or $18.73 per hour without health benefits.

In Broward, about 5,000 employees earn at least $15 per hour with health benefits under the county’s own ordinance.

Business groups, worker advocates clash

Rich Templin, a lobbyist for the labor union AFL-CIO, has lashed out against the Republican-led effort, calling it a “pure insider lobbyist game.”

“There is no reason for this,” Templin said in a committee hearing earlier this month. “There are no business entities that are good corporate players in communities that are asking for this. There are no governments that are asking for this. There are no constituents asking for this.”

Bob McKee, a representative with the Florida Association of Counties, chastised the effort to limit local government’s ability to control wages in their communities to benefit entities that are already receiving benefits from the government.

“As a local government, one of the things that is important is the ability to look in our communities to give them the dignity that comes with a living and earned wage,” McKee said.

A representative with the Florida Chamber of Commerce, meanwhile, argued that the measure will make it easier for small businesses to compete for government contracts and that the effort could lead to more cost-effective government agreements. Several other business groups, including the Florida Homebuilders Association, the National Utility Contractors Association and the Aluminum Association of Florida, supported the local preemption bill.

In the Senate, the idea has yet to gain traction. But Senate President Kathleen Passidomo recently told reporters that the idea merits a discussion.

“I don’t know where it would end up but I would like to hear what people have to say,” Passidomo said. “I think there are so many challenges with one community doing something that other communities don’t.”

The Senate bill sponsor, Sen. Jay Trumbull, R-Panama City Beach, has not responded to requests seeking comment on whether he intends to adopt the language onto his bill.