Florida’s minimum wage reaches $15 an hour Wednesday, Sept. 30, completing the series of annual $1 increases approved by voters six years ago and requiring Manatee County employers to adjust wages for workers earning below the new rate.
The statewide minimum wage increases from $14 to $15 an hour, while the minimum direct wage for eligible tipped employees rises from $10.98 to $11.98 an hour. Employers may continue to apply a tip credit of up to $3.02 for qualifying tipped employees.
The increase is the final scheduled step under a constitutional amendment approved by Florida voters in November 2020. The amendment raised the minimum wage to $10 an hour in September 2021 and called for $1 increases each Sept. 30 until the rate reached $15 in 2026.
For Manatee County businesses employing workers at the minimum wage, the latest increase translates into an additional $40 in gross wages each week for an employee working 40 hours, or $2,080 over a full 52-week year. Those figures do not include additional employer costs associated with payroll taxes or other compensation tied to wages.
The impact will vary considerably from business to business. Companies already paying employees at least $15 an hour will not be required to raise wages because of the new minimum. Businesses with employees earning $14 to $14.99 an hour, however, must bring those workers to at least $15 for hours worked beginning Sept. 30.
Restaurants and other businesses employing tipped workers will also need to update payroll. The required direct hourly wage for qualifying tipped employees increases by $1, from $10.98 to $11.98, with tips and the permitted tip credit accounting for the remainder of the $15 minimum.
The change comes as Manatee County continues to have a sizable employment base. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed 144,448 covered jobs at 15,150 establishments in Manatee County in September 2025. The county’s average weekly wage during the third quarter of 2025 was $1,186. Those averages include workers across industries and wage levels and do not indicate how many Manatee County employees currently earn the minimum wage.
For businesses with several employees near the bottom of the pay scale, the effect may extend beyond workers currently earning $14. Employers may choose to review wages for employees already earning $15 or slightly more to maintain differences based on experience, responsibilities or supervisory duties. Those additional adjustments are business decisions rather than requirements of the minimum wage law.
Employers also need to make sure workplace notices are current. Florida law requires employers subject to the minimum wage to display the state minimum-wage poster in a conspicuous and accessible location. The Florida Department of Commerce has released the 2026-27 poster reflecting the $15 rate.
The increase to $15 does not mean Florida’s minimum wage will remain at that amount permanently.
Under the state Constitution, the fixed $1 annual increases end with the 2026 adjustment. Beginning with the next adjustment cycle, Florida will move to inflation-based changes. The state will calculate an adjusted minimum wage on Sept. 30, 2027, using the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. That adjusted rate will take effect Jan. 1, 2028.
That also means businesses will eventually shift from planning for the predictable $1 increases established by the 2020 amendment to monitoring annual inflation-based adjustments.
Employees who believe they have not received the required minimum wage have enforcement rights under Florida law. State law provides a process for seeking unpaid wages and damages, and employers found liable for intentional violations can face additional penalties.
For Manatee County employers, Wednesday’s increase marks the end of a five-year transition to the $15 minimum wage but not the end of minimum-wage adjustments. Future changes will depend on inflation rather than the fixed schedule voters approved in 2020.
Sources: Florida Department of Commerce minimum-wage page and the Florida Constitution, Article X, Section 24.