Skip to main content
x
Location
Miami, FL

Statement

On Tuesday, February 5, 2019, the Florida Supreme Court rescinded its appellate review of the City of Miami Beach’s appeal which sought to challenge a 2017 decision by the Third District Court of Appeals invalidating the City’s minimum wage ordinance which would have raised its minimum wage to $13.31 an hour by 2021. LatinoJustice PRLDEF’s Equal Justice Works Fellow Sesilia Valdez Diaz, who is sponsored by the Florida Bar Foundation, released the following statement:

 
“This unfortunate decision by the Florida Supreme Court fails to address a critically important economic living wage issue. Municipalities and local communities are in the best position to understand the economic issues their residents encounter and take appropriate action to address low wages that do not meet the increased costs of living. Miami Beach is one of Florida’s most expensive cities and the City attempted to alleviate economic struggles faced by residents. By doing so, they sought to move Florida a step closer to living wages, and at the very least, putting a spotlight on the issue.”
 
New Jersey recently became the fourth state in the country to implement a $15 minimum wage after New York, Massachusetts, and California. In Florida, Walt Disney World, after a hard push by workers, unions and local organizations has agreed to increase wages to $15 by 2021. One can only hope that Florida’s legislature and Governor DeSantis will similarly undertake legislative action to address low wages, as New Jersey recently did.