TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Florida's minimum wage is increasing on January 1, 2019.
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity says that on January 1, 2019 the state's minimum wage will increase from $8.25 to $8.46 per hour, which is 21 cent increase.
Tipped employees will also see an increase from $5.23 to $5.44 per hour.
Next year's increase is the biggest increase the state has seen since 2012.
The biggest increase was in 2005, when Florida put a state minimum wage in place. That year, the set the state minimum wage at $6.15, which was a $1 more than the federal minimum wage at the time.
From 2009 to 2011, the state defaulted to the federal minimum wage of $7.25, but later increased the state minimum wage after a legal ruling raised it to $7.31.
According to records from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the state saw steady wage increases until 2016, where there was no increase. Both 2017 and 2018 saw a combined increase of 20 cents.
Florida's new minimum wage $1.21 higher than the federal minimum wage for 2019, which is $7.25 per hour.
