A recent survey found that nearly half of Floridians are considering leaving the state due to cost-of-living concerns, with 80 percent of respondents citing concerns about housing affordability and over 40 percent stating they believe the so-called “American Dream” no longer exists.
Florida lawmakers have come up with a number of proposals to address affordability concerns, while another has garnered concerns that it could push more Floridians into poverty.
A panel of Florida lawmakers on Wednesday, for instance, advanced one bill (HB 221) that would allow certain types of workers to temporarily “opt out” of being paid minimum wage, despite critics warning the bill would open the floodgates to exploitation and legalize cheap labor.
Under the proposal, workers in Florida who are enrolled in an internship program, pre-apprenticeship, work-study program or “other similar work-based learning opportunity” would be allowed to sign a waiver opting out of being paid Florida’s minimum wage, at least temporarily. Adults would be permitted to waive their minimum wage rights for up to 252 days (or two college semesters), while minors under age 18 would be permitted to do so for 126 days (about one college semester).
Workers, under the proposal, would be able to opt out of being paid the Florida minimum wage of $14 an hour — equal to $29, 120 a year working full-time — but would need to be paid at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. That wage floor hasn’t budged since 2009. Florida’s minimum wage, in contrast, is scheduled to rise to $15 an hour later this year as the result of a constitutional amendment that was approved by more than 6 million Florida voters in 2020.
Some critics argued this new bill seeks to undermine that and ignore the will of voters.
“Florida voters — myself — chose to raise the minimum wage because fair pay really matters,” argued Taylor Ashley, an opponent speaking to lawmakers Wednesday during public testimony. “This bill undercuts that decision and shifts costs onto workers who can least afford it.”
Sponsored by Rep. Ryan Chamberlin, R-Belleview, the bill was advanced by the House Careers & Workforce Subcommittee in an 11-5 vote along party lines, with Republicans in support of the proposal and Democrats in opposition. It’s the second of three committees the bill must clear before facing a vote by the full Florida House.
While Republican bill sponsor Chamberlin and Rep. Doug Bankson, R-Apopka, argued the bill would create “opportunity” for workers who are willing to trade wages for job experience, critics argued that it defies the will of voters, would lower wages for workers across the board, and could face constitutionality issues due to the fact that minimum wage rights are enshrined in Florida’s state constitution.
“There’s nothing that says that we have the ability to allow employers, private or public, the ability to waive minimum wage,” said Rep. Ashley Gantt (D-Miami).
Opening the floodgates to abuse
Other concerns brought forward by members of the public included the potential exploitation of young workers entering the job market — who are more vulnerable to workplace violence and wage theft — as well as the lack of an enforcement mechanism spelled out in the proposal.
“I know the bill says that there will be no coercion by the employer, but with the lack of any enforcement mechanism in place, my concern is the legislation will present young workers with the choice of either sign away your constitutional minimum wage rights, or go without a job,” said Andy Starling, another member of the public who spoke in opposition to the bill.
The bill language does explicitly prohibit employer coercion and includes a definition for a “work-based learning opportunity” that would be eligible for a subminimum wage, if the bill becomes law. Workers under the age of 18, under the proposal, would also need to have a parent also sign away their right to minimum wage and agree to be paid less.
Rep. Chamberlin conceded, however, that there is no state agency designated in the bill to ensure employers are actually following the rules that his proposal spells out.
“There’s not a specific state organization dedicated to monitor these particular items,” he admitted, when pressed.
“This bill undermines the whole point of a minimum wage. If your company can’t afford that, you might need to consider your business model.”
Dr. Rich Templin, political director of the Florida AFL-CIO — a statewide federation of labor unions — argued the bill would, in effect, give employers the green light to misclassify any minimum wage job as a “work-based learning opportunity” without any risk of repercussion.
“If this bill passes, as it is, there is absolutely no reason that a McDonald’s franchisee owner can’t declare all of the jobs in his restaurant as work study and then compel people in the community to sign away their minimum wage rights — because that’s where the jobs are.”
Templin pointed out there are already tens of thousands of job openings currently in Florida’s job market, and that workers — including those with little job experience — are not at risk of any shortage of paid job opportunities.
The plethora of job openings, in fact, has been used as a talking point by Republicans who are, at the same time, looking to approve a bill that would make it harder for Floridians to access unemployment benefits.
“The argument for shutting down unemployment insurance was that we have tens of thousands of open positions in Florida right now,” said Templin. “If that’s the case, then why do we have to have people sign away their minimum wage rights for an opportunity to get a job that might give them some training and some experience?”
Shane Tremblay, a construction electrician from Jacksonville, said he himself was the product of an apprenticeship program that paid him a living wage, plus benefits, as he developed new skills and gained hands-on experience in his field. “This bill undermines the whole point of a minimum wage,” he argued. “If your company can’t afford that, you might need to consider your business model.”
Tremblay added that allowing construction contractors to pay entry-level workers or trainees less than minimum wage could affect the earnings of more experienced workers like himself. “If this bill were to pass, I could see contractors using it as a way to drive down their labor costs, which will drive down my wage. So I have a vested interest in this bill not passing.”
Will the proposal advance?
Chamberlin’s bill received no show of support during public testimony Wednesday, even from business-friendly lobbying groups that have warned employers are struggling to keep up with minimum wage hikes. His bill was previously filed for consideration during Florida’s state legislative session last year, but failed to receive a vote of support from the full Florida House.
A Senate version of the bill filed for consideration this year (SB 1412), sponsored by Sen. Jonathan Martin, has yet to be scheduled for a single committee hearing. Senate President Ben Albritton last year admitted that he wasn’t a fan of the proposal. “To tell you the truth, I think if somebody works, whether they’re being an apprentice or whatever, minimum wage is actually in the Constitution for a reason,” he told reporters at the time.
The legislation would need to be approved by a majority of lawmakers in both the Senate and the House — both of which are dominated by Republicans — in order to pass. It would then need to receive final approval from the governor in order to become law.
Florida’s 2026 legislative session began Jan. 13 and is scheduled to last 60 days through March 13, 2026. If the bill fails to pass before the end of session, it will not become law.
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