A Florida Senate committee Monday backed a proposal that would give employers a way to sidestep the state’s minimum wage if they can classify positions as job training.
The Republican-controlled Commerce and Tourism Committee voted 5-3 along party lines to approve the measure (SB 676), which would provide an exemption to the voter-approved minimum wage when employees are involved in “a structured work-study, internship, pre-apprenticeship program, apprenticeship program or other similar work-based learning opportunity.”
A 2020 state constitutional amendment required gradual increases in Florida’s minimum wage. It is $13 an hour now, will increase to $14 an hour on Sept. 30 and will go to $15 an hour on Sept. 30, 2026. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.
Senate bill sponsor Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, said that because “the minimum wage is so high” the proposal is aimed at helping people gain skills through entry-level work experience. Such experience is not available to unskilled workers in many areas at $13 an hour, he said.
“I think this opens up opportunities for those trying to get more experience, more job training,” Martin said.
Martin said more-affluent people might be able to take unpaid internships, but many others entering the workforce don’t have time or money to pay for schooling or training needed to gain experience.
But Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, argued that employers will simply redefine entry level jobs as “internships.”
“We have a constitutional minimum wage in Florida. It’s $13 an hour,” Smith said. “This proposal is an attempt to circumvent it. It’s an attempt to exploit workers of all ages.”
Smith said the proposal is an attempt to challenge the 2020 constitutional amendment and a 2011 court ruling that workers cannot waive their rights to a minimum wage.
A Senate staff analysis of the proposal said that “if an employee signs a waiver stating that they opt out of minimum wage requirements, the employer is still bound by the minimum wage requirements of the state Constitution.”
But Martin, an attorney, said he expects the state Supreme Court would back the bill if it becomes law.
Martin’s proposal would require employees to check a box on application forms to opt out of minimum-wage requirements or provide written acknowledgements that they understand state law and are opting for the “work-based learning opportunity.” For workers under age 18, the waiver would have to be signed by parents or guardians.
“Internships, apprenticeships, all by definition, are temporary,” Senate Commerce and Tourism Chairman Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, said. “You’re not committing yourself to a life of a low wage. But what we are doing is allowing that person to make the decision on their own, that they would like to have a marketable skill more than they’d like to have 15 bucks an hour. And that’s a fair trade.”
For tipped employees, the state’s minimum wage is $9.98 an hour. The federal minimum for tipped employees is $2.13 an hour.
Employers in Florida are allowed to pay sub-minimum wages to certain workers, such as people ages 19 and younger during the first 90 days of employment and to students working part-time in vocational training programs.
A 2023 law pushed by Martin created an exemption to the state’s minimum-wage law for professional baseball players. The law requires players to receive an in-season weekly salary equal to the minimum wage for a 40-hour work week.
Rep. Ryan Chamberlin, R-Belleview, has filed a nearly identical bill (HB 541) to the Martin proposal that cleared the Senate committee Monday.
In a Feb. 18 statement, Chamberlin called the state’s minimum wage “a weight on Florida’s economy and a hindrance to workers.”
“This bill will give both employers and employees more flexibility to work out compensatory agreements that are unshackled by the heavy hand of government,” Chamberlin said in the statement.
But House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, said the proposals move “in the wrong direction” the 2020 amendment, which was approved by 60.8 percent of voters.
“We should not be trying to solve for any workforce shortage by treating workers with anything less than what they deserve,” Driskell told reporters on Monday.
–Jim Turner, News Service of Florida
JimboXYZ says
Considering 4 years of Biden-Harris inflation, there should be zero exemptions to a State of FL $ 15/hour minimum wage period. It’s bad enough that the inflation easily doubled for unaffordable housing over the Biden-Harris Administration. If employers can raise the prices like that, experienced record profits, they need to pay the $ 15/hour that they are literally stealing back any wage increase that doesn’t pace inflation & creating a financial hardship that many will have to work into a next paycheck to “catch up” to what inflation has stolen from them. That’s the way it always works, always behind & catching up with people that will lie all day to Sunday for why the CPI increased every month for 4 years of Biden-Harris. The wealth gap got worse. And until some/those folks own their hand in that it’s going to continue to get worse. Sooner or later the dots have to connect. Those with Ivy League degrees can’t pretend like that’s an unsolvable mystery of life. Their fraud & abuse is far worse than the shop lifter(s) over at Target or some other retail establishment or the trans-whatever that stole a $ 379 BMX out of a garage over the last weekend.
Nancy N. says
Ah yes, Florida Republicans once again showing their nostalgia for the good old days of slavery, when they didn’t have to pay their workers at all.
Jim says
All this does is open the door (further) for exploitation of labor. If you are going to benefit from someone’s efforts, you should pay them. They may very well be learning a trade or gaining experience that will (hopefully) help them in life and that’s great. You could argue that almost any job is providing someone useful experience they can use going forward.
““This bill will give both employers and employees more flexibility to work out compensatory agreements that are unshackled by the heavy hand of government,” Chamberlin said in the statement.” What it really does is provide an employer to exploit workers with no legal ramifications.
There is no question in my mind that our current government is doing everything they can think of to exploit workers and our citizens, make life harder, reduce our rights and push us back to the 1920’s (or maybe pre-Civil War). It’s a shame that our society embraces these actions and euphemistically calls this “freedom”.
c says
I could get behind this, but ONLY if it would apply to the Legislative members (Senators and Reps) as well as the ‘entry-level’ jobs they mention.
Obviously, if anyone needs ‘on the job training’ and is in need of internship that isn’t worth minimum wage – then that seems to be the definition of our so-called legislature.
Jim says
To “JimboXYZ says”,
While your still whining about Joe Biden and inflation, you might take a look at inflation under Biden for his last 12 months and then compare that with Trump in his first two months. You won’t believe it but inflation was declining until Trump got in office. Now it’s climbing with no sign of stopping.
As far as affordable housing, what is Trump doing or going to do to help with that? Just curious – I’ve seen nor heard nothing.
And you think the wealth gap got worse under Biden? Please tell me what you think is about to happen when the Republicans pass their “beautiful” tax cut. I’ll help you out. The top 5% will be getting huge cuts in actual dollars (estimates of an average of $70k) while the middle class will see and average of $1k. You may think that’s fair. And for that tax cut, goodbye to Medicaid for all those folks out there who need it. But that’s a small price to pay so that Elon and his buddies get their money back; God knows they can’t afford to pay more taxes!
It gets tiresome reading your comments that indicate that you don’t pay any attention to what’s really happening and how this current government is about to screw the middle class yet again. Just keep you eye on deportations, no transgenders playing sports, English as the national language, Canada as the 51st state, Greenland as an American territory, retaking of the Panama Canal, and all the other critically important actions by Trump & team. God forbid you look at the other things he’s doing to make a mess. You can’t see the forest for the trees.
Ray W, says
I see that JimboXYZ continues to wander through life fooling himself.
Ray W, says
This is for the ever-gullible JimboXYZ.
The CEO of BlackRock, Larry Fink, recently addressed an S&P Global conference. He commented that President Trump’s deportation policy will impact the agricultural and construction sectors, likely leading to near-term inflation, saying:
“I think that over the next six to nine months, we’re going to see a little more elevated inflation. … I do believe deportations and the speed at which it is happening is going to have severe impacts on the agricultural sector and the construction sector.”
He added that in his conversations with agricultural sector CEOs, they have told him that about 70% of workers in agriculture was not burn in America. They wonder if they will have enough labor to harvest crops come spring.
He went on”
“With the whole idea that we’re going to have to use private capital to build out this country — are we going to have enough workers? … I’ve even told members of the Trump team that we’re going to run out of electricians as we build out AI data centers — we just don’t have enough.”
FlaglerLive readers, make of this what you will. JimboXYZ, keep on wandering through life fooling yourself.
Me?
We have an economy centered on perpetual gains in productivity, i.e., growth. Some productivity gains can occur through improvement in technology, such as AI. Other forms of productivity growth depend on the number of bodies in the labor market. Deport enough productive workers and overall economic productivity may slacken or even drop.
There is no secret to this.
American women simply are either delaying the age at which they are having children, or they are not having families at all. We dropped below replacement rate nearly 20 years ago. Too few native-born children are coming of age today and too many boomers are retiring.
The overall number of American-born workers has been dropping in recent years, yet the American economy keeps adding jobs. Just where do these new workers come from?
The number of people receiving paychecks at the outbreak of the pandemic was over 142 million. Today, nearly 160 million people earn paychecks. It’s been five years, and during that timeframe we added nearly 18 million paychecks to the economy. We needed those immigrants in their millions each year. Without millions of immigrants, the near miraculous but not yet complete recovery from the pandemic-induced economic destruction may never have happened.
Deborah Coffey says
It appears to be the new Republican/MAGA way…impoverish the people and let a few OWN EVERYTHING. Do normal, ordinary, middle class Republicans see the TRUTH now? It’s jumping up and smacking you in the face! Trump and Musk are going to wipe you out.
Ray W, says
This, too, is for JimboXYZ, the eternal wanderer who keeps fooling himself.
An economics professor wrote this for The Hill:
“Over the past two years, the notion that the U.S. economy and its stock market was outperforming the rest of the advanced world gained salience and came to be widely interpreted as a new form of American exceptionalism. Last October, The Economist claimed that the U.S. economy was the “envy of the world” and that it has “left other rich countries in the dust.
“The election of a purportedly pro-business president and the Republican sweep in last November’s elections reinforced expectations that America’s economy and equity markets would continue to standout in 2025, especially in comparison to a supposedly moribund Europe and a sluggish China.
“However, initially high expectations for a Trumpian boost to economic growth, based on anticipation of significant deregulation and tax cuts, have since floundered as the reality of heightened policy uncertainty and protectionist measures hit consumer sentiments and business confidence.
“The Trump administration’s crude but significant shift towards foreign policy realism, along with its haphazard execution of economic threats and trade tariffs, have ushered in a more transactional world order. It is forcing key European and Asian economies to get their acts together and undertake much-needed policy reforms and enact critical stimulus measures.
“Though the U.S. economy ended last year on a high note, its performance this year may be significantly hobbled by a surge in policy uncertainty, a sharp decline in consumer sentiments, a delay in business investment and a gradual weakening of the labor market.
“The sudden and sharp reversal in the bond market, coming after a 100-basis-point surge between mid-September 2024 and mid-January 2025, offers confirmation of a dramatic shift in market sentiments. Fears of an economic slowdown have overtaken concerns about sticky inflation.
“The recent underperformance of U.S. equities suggests that previously ebullient investors are having second thoughts about the bull case for American stocks.
“To obtain a deeper understanding of recent developments, it is helpful to take a step back and evaluate the drivers or recent ‘U.S. exceptionalism.’ Since the end of 2019, the U.S. economy sharply outperformed its G7 advanced economy peers. One crucial but underappreciated reason for the outperformance is that the U.S. deployed an extraordinary amount of fiscal stimulus between 2020 and 2024.
“As Jesper Rangivid has highlighted on his blog, through the Cares Act, the Consolidated Appropriations Act and the American Rescue Plan Act, the U.S. government added $6 trillion of stimulus (equivalent to about 25% of GDP). The Biden administration juiced the economy further with the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act.
“Of course, the U.S. possesses key underlying advantages relative to its European peers on the regulatory, productivity and demographic front, and it also has an innovative and vibrant tech sector. Furthermore, the shale revolution has made the U.S. the world’s leading producer of oil and natural gas and largely immunized the domestic economy from external energy shocks.
“The Ukraine conflict and the resultant curtailment of Russian energy supply to Germany and its neighbors generated a far bigger adverse supply shock for European consumers and producers than it did for their American counterparts.
However, it is hard to undersell the role of debt-fueled fiscal transfers to consumers and businesses that sustained high-levels of consumption and investment spending in the U.S. and muted the impact of higher interest rates in 2023 and 2024. During fiscal 2024, the U.S. government ran a budget deficit of over $1.83 trillion (6.4% of GDP), even as economic growth remained robust and labor market stayed tight.
“Not only were initial government stimulus measures of a smaller magnitude in Europe but many resorted to fiscal belt tightening in 2023 and 2024. This was one of the key reasons for the underperformance of the Euro Area.
“Even the extraordinary decade-long U.S. equity market outperformance appears at risk. At the end of 2024, U.S. equities accounted for nearly 70 percent of the MSCI AC World Index (up from around 30 percent share in the 1980s). The U.S. equity market also had become extremely top heavy — the top 10 stocks accounted for around 38 percent of the entire S&P 500 market capitalization. Last December, Ruchir Sharma warned that U.S. equity markets were potentially ‘over-owned, overvalued and overhyped to a degree never seen before.’ Recent events appear to validate his concerns.
“Over the past month, several crucial developments have made global investors reconsider the soundness of ‘U.S. exceptionalism’ thesis. China’s AI industry has shown that it is capable of challenging Silicon Valley’s dominance and raised questions about the staggering levels of capex spending by American tech giants. China has also announced policies to boost domestic consumption and protect itself from Trump tariffs.
“Meanwhile, recent German elections have led to an extraordinary sea change in the fiscal and strategic stance of Europe’s largest and most powerful economy. Expectations that Germany and the broader Euro Area will engage in increased spending on defense and infrastructure have already generated European stock market and currency gains.
“Intriguingly, the Trump administration’s ‘bull in a China shop’ approach to policymaking has forced the rest of the world to undertake much needed reforms that will ultimately reduce their reliance on the American consumer and, potentially, even on the American financial system.”
Make of this what you will.
Me?
Once again, I have to apologize to the FlaglerLive community. For years, I have been arguing that in response to the pandemic, President Trump signed into law two different bills totaling $2.9 trillion in unfunded stimulus funds. According to the economist behind the editorial, Trump signed three bills totaling $6 trillion in unfunded stimulus funds. This means that Trump is more responsible for the pandemic-triggered inflation than is Biden.
I wonder how JimboXYZ will twist this new fact into his consistent misinformation laundering.
Ed P says
First and foremost, employment is at will. At will, if you believe you can improve your employment situation, you are free to do so. At will, if an employer feels you are not performing adequately, they can terminate you. Of course, you will be eligible for unemployment compensation in most situations of the above scenarios. So no one is a slave.
Second, how does anyone outside any private business enterprise have the skill or business acumen to legislate what a businesses’ minimum wage must be. Even more so for an apprenticeship situation. Universities charge tuitions beyond reason for most working class families for useless degrees that may never lead to employment. But that’s ok. Here we have employers willing to train someone for a trade that will lead to a solid career. Skill, job tasks, industry, geographic location, and performance should be the diving factor of wages. Not politics.
Thirdly, wealth growth is totally different from wage growth. The comparison is not analogous. Wages are income. Wealth growth represents the increase in total value of assets. If anyone spends all their income and never saves today for tomorrow, then wealth growth could be nonexistent. Some people regardless of wages or even winning a lottery remain working poor due to their spending. You can not legislate spending habits
Finally, minimum wage was never intended to be a living wage. Entry level positions like fast food workers are incapable of providing a living wage. They should be viewed as stepping stones not final destinations.
Depending on the business, 20-75% fail. In fact it’s a better than 50% chance any new business will fail in its first year. Over the long run, 90% of start ups fail.
So a little common sense is required. The lefts approach appears to ignore the realities of business.
Ed P says
Jim,
How in the name of sanity can Trump be responsible for inflation in his first 8 weeks.
Also, how can a President affect affordable housing.
Come on Ray W Where are you now?
Ray W, says
Hello Ed P.
Just how many times do I have to comment that I prefer to not rely solely on short-term economic data for my observations, leanings, interpretations, etc.? Seven weeks of economic data based on initial estimates is just not enough time for me.
I have yet to comment on reasons for the stock market gyrations. Too volatile. Too little data. Too many competing opinions based on snippets here and there.
I sense many things, but I have seen far too many corrections and adjustments over the decades to rely on unsupported feelings.
Musk’s Tesla is in trouble, but not necessarily for the reasons many talking heads list. Very few of them mention that Tesla entered into contractual agreements with at least two other car manufacturers to sell them its carbon credits. The other car manufacturers want to sell gas-guzzling cars and trucks. The more cars Tesla sells, the more carbon credits it earns. The other companies plan to pay Tesla significant sums of money for its carbon credits to avoid
Ed P says
Ray W,
I am referring to your propensity of pointing out the flaws in the arguments of the “stupidly gullible” posters on the right when they are wrong. Me included.
I’m hankering for you to correct someone from the left on occasion.
If you are seeking the goal of correctly informing the Flagler Live community ( stated multiple times) how can you ignore some of their glaring comments?
You need not attack your ilk, but rather diplomatically restate the facts and truth.
Shouldn’t the truth be non-partisan? Let the chips fall where they may. Praise the right when they get something correct. It won’t hurt.
Kennan says
Jesus Christ Jimbo! You getting real popular for all the wrong reasons! Listen, without a speck of curiosity or wanted understanding of the economy….. let’s play the same dumb political game. We always play and blame the other parties guy for fiscal ineptitude.
Look, I’m no fan of former President Biden, especially for the callous nature in which he handled Gaza. I will say this, however; he didn’t fuck up the economy. You will know that soon when you see what unnecessary traders due to our economy.
In 1970 the minimum wage in this country was $1.60 an hour. In 1990 it was a poultry $3.80 an hour. The wealth disparity between managers, owners, and what your average floor worker gets is staggering.
Side stepping to classify positions as job training? The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. Today. Shameful. The price of everything goes up year after year after year.
Cheap bastards like Jonathan Martin say that minimum wage of $13 an hour is so high and disguises his cheapness by helping people gain skills through entry-level work experience. Wow. These people should be paid for their training while they get their experience, and more with experience. $15. Everyone should get paid $15 an hour minimum, maybe more if we had a fair and equitable tax system, where the Rich would pay their fair share.
These guys yearn for the good old days. Ask your average black male or female about growing up in the 50s or 60s about the good old days?
What an insult! All this really does his throw excrement at normal people that sometimes work two and three jobs just to pay the bills in the so-called richest economy in the world.
Kennan says
Unnecessary tariffs and trade wars could plunge this country into economic despair. I don’t care what political party you’re affiliated with. Whether you’re red or blue. We want the same things. The tribalism and populism, the political lock step everybody is so afraid to break free of is beyond all logical understanding. if this country is so great, then let’s do the right thing. Figure it out. We used to be good at figuring things out. Now we’re afraid to figure things out because we’re afraid we’re gonna step on our base’s foot. Sad man.
Ed P says
Why is it ok for a foreign country to impose a tariff on the United States?
If they do not like the proposed reciprocal tariff, they could reduce or remove their tariff providing fair and equal access to their markets. After all they are our friends….
Anyone care to explain why the above strategy is not logical?
Why does anyone expect the United States to be a “free trade partner” if foreign competitors are “taxing” our products being imported into their country?
Could it be because our “Allies “ have a policy of protecting their country first?
How novel!