Pro-business organizations urge Florida voters to reject Ballot Amendment 2

by | Sep 24, 2020



With only 40 days until the election, pro-business organizations across Florida are uniting, urging voters in the state to oppose Ballot Amendment 2 this November.

Organizations representing small businesses across the Sunshine State, including builders, gas stations and convenience stores, farms and retail stores, are joining the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA) in pushing back a constitutional mandate that would raise Florida’s minimum wage to $15 an hour.

“As the General Election nears, businesses across all industries are growing increasingly concerned about the devastating consequences Ballot Amendment 2 will have on jobs across the state,” said Carol Dover, president and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “From farms to retail stores, this policy experiment will impact all types of small businesses and the jobs they provide for Florida families.”

Joining the FRLA in opposition to Ballot Amendment 2 is:

  • Associated Industries of Florida
  • Florida Chamber of Commerce
  • Florida Home Builders Association
  • Florida Petroleum Marketers Association, Inc.
  • Florida Farm Bureau
  • Florida Retail Federation
  • National Federation of Independent Business

“The Florida Home Builders Association stands with small businesses in opposition to Amendment 2,” said Rusty Payton, executive director of the FHBA. “As we begin to rebound from a worldwide pandemic and high unemployment, putting more strain on already depleted payrolls is not the solution for an economic recovery. Further, for every $1,000 increase in the median new home price, 10,274 Florida Households are priced out of the marketplace. Now is not the time to increase costs, VOTE NO ON 2.”

These business leaders are the latest to voice opposition to Ballot Amendment 2 — an initiative spearheaded by TV trial lawyer John Morgan. The Constitutional amendment would gradually increase Florida’s minimum wage to $15 an hour. The minimum wage would continue to go up by $1 until it reaches $15 in 2026, and it would increase slightly thereafter each year to keep up the consumer price index.

Proponents of wage hike claim the $15 minimum wage would elevate many out of poverty, paying them a “fair wage” that will enable them to provide for their families. Associations like FRLA, however, say that a $15 minimum wage would be the coup de grâce for many in the hospitality industry who are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

If passed, Florida would be the first state in the nation to incorporate an exponential increase in the minimum wage in its state constitution.

The proposed amendment will be considered on the Nov. 3 ballot and will require 60 percent approval from voters to pass.

3 Comments

  1. James M. Mejuto

    Comment People, pass Amendment 2 !
    If a business ” can’t ” afford to pay its workers $15 per hour then it
    shouldn’t stay in business.
    Also in the mix should come Medical and paid vacation. I’ve mentioned this
    before that corporations like McDonald’s should share this expense.

  2. IndyPundit

    When this country was founded, anyone who wanted to start a company had to petition their state legislatures and prove that the company would be a net benefit to the community. We’ve fallen so far that companies are trying to argue that they shouldn’t even have to pay their workers livable wages!

    Inequality has grown tremendously since the minimum wage stopped going up, and there’s a ton of evidence showing that’s also why economic growth has been so slow.

    Turns out that transferring all of the country’s wealth to a handful of people doesn’t make for much of a free market.

    So thanks for reminding us to support Amendment 2. I’m sure it won’t matter, of course, since after we pass it the gerrymandered government will find some “legal” way to ignore the constitution and will of the voters.

  3. O

    Either businesses that profit from labor pay a fair wage or tax payers over all will have to pay for more social services to support families. Lets pass Amendment 2 and giver workers a fair living wage. This amendment is incremental so as not to shock the system.

 

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