MIAMI (NewsNation Now) — Florida voters have approved a measure raising the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour over the next six years.
A supermajority of Florida voters approved the amendment to the Florida Constitution that will raise Florida’s minimum wage from the current $8.56 an hour to $15 an hour by 2026.
Advocates say the measure will lift the pay for hundreds of thousands of workers in the state’s service-heavy economy.
Although Florida’s current minimum wage is higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, supporters of Amendment 2 had said it is impossible to live on that wage given the state’s cost of living.
Opponents of Amendment 2 said it would stifle growth as Florida’s battered tourism economy recovers from the impact of coronavirus.
All state constitutional amendments require a 60% supermajority for approval.
Other ballot questions that were passed in Florida include:
- Amendment 1, which clarifies that only U.S. citizens over age 18 were eligible to vote in elections, has passed.
- Amendment 5, which give homeowners an extra year to claim a homestead tax benefit, has passed.
- Amendment 6, which extends a property tax discount to the surviving spouse of a veteran with combat-related disabilities, has passed.