With Our Support, Miami Beach Commissioners Raised the Minimum Wage.

On June 8th the City Commission unanimously voted to raise the minimum wage in the city from $8.05 to $13.31 per hour by 2021. Miami Beach will be the first municipality in Florida to hike its minimum wage above the state level as a result of our national movement raise the minimum wage.

A 2016 SEIU Florida study proves that low wages cost taxpayers $11.4 billion in public assistance every year, with Miami Beach renters, in particular, spending more than 57% of their income on housing costs. With this new legislation, Mayor Levine is leading the charge in helping underpaid Miami Beach workers make ends meet for themselves and their families.

Antoinette Quintyne, who has worked a homecare worker since 2005, said, “Every day as a homecare worker in Miami Beach, I take care of others in need. But I’m in need, too. I work more than 120 hours a week to try to make ends meet, and it’s still not enough to take care of my family and me. Thank you, Mayor Levine, for supporting a living wage for Miami Beach workers like me.”

While year after year, Tallahassee has refused to enact legislation to provide a living wage to all Florida residents, communities like Miami Beach, are stepping up and filling void created by the Florida Legislature. Florida voters have already made it clear that they want their communities to have a say in what they’re paid, when more than 70% of Floridians voting in 2004 to include in the state constitution the power of municipalities to provide for a higher minimum wages than the state.

Monica Russo, who stood arm-in-arm with Mayor Levine said, “We applaud Mayor Levine and the Commissioners for showing real leadership on an issue that for so many means the difference between buying food or paying rent. Florida continues to see growing costs without higher wages, and this disparity poses a real threat to Florida’s economy. It’s time to show that communities in Florida are ready to lead on this issue, and we are proud to stand with Mayor Levine as Miami Beach paves the way.”