TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — With the new year, comes more money in the pockets for some Floridians. On January 1, 2019, minimum wage in the Sunshine State will increase by 21 cents per hour, according to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
The increase brings minimum wage in the state from $8.25 to $8.46 per hour. Florida's minimum wage $1.21 higher than the Federal minimum wage for 2019, which is $7.25 per hour.
Related: Florida's minimum wage increases in 2018
This is the most significant minimum wage increase in Florida since 2012, where minimum wage increased by 36 cents, from $7.31 to $7.67. The largest minimum wage increase the state has ever seen was in 2005, when Florida enacted state minimum wage. Florida raised minimum wages to $6.15, over the federal minimum wage at the time, which was $5.15.
The minimum wage rate for tipped employees of large employers will also increase from $5.23 to $5.44 per hour in the state of Florida.