ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida's minimum wage is going up next year. But not by much.
- Minimum wage in Florida to increase in 2020
- Wage will go from $8.46 an hour to $8.56 an hour
- The increase will take effect January 1
The state's minimum wage will go up from $8.46 to $8.56 an hour, according to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. The wage for servers will also increase by 10 cents, from $5.46 to $5.56.
Rebecca Vazquez was doing some last-minute shopping Tuesday night at the Florida Mall.
“I had to look for the best deals I could find because I can’t afford regular priced things, I mean like halfway decent clothes, if I couldn’t have found what I found on sale I couldn’t have bought them,” Vazquez said.
She says she bargain hunts because she only makes near minimum wage.
“I’m a server at a restaurant," Vazquez said. "I make $6 an hour, some nights I make really good money and other nights it’s not so busy.”
And with the affordable housing crisis in Central Florida, something like Christmas shopping can be a big sacrifice.
“I had to save, I had to put a little bit of money away every month,” Vazquez said.
She says the 10 cents increase feels like a slap in the face for minimum wage workers.
“Ten cents is ridiculous that doesn’t do anything for anyone,” Vazquez said.
Vazquez says increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour would have a real impact.
Which is a measure on the 2020 ballot she hopes Florida voters will approve.
“We need a substantial increase so that we can survive out here,” she said.
The 10-cent increase takes effect January 1.