Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Two-thirds of voters support minimum wage hike, poll says
A Monmouth University Poll shows 67% of Florida voters plan to support the November referendum that would gradually increase the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour.
If the findings hold through the election, that’s more than enough than the 60% required for passage.
The proposal has the support of 67% of registered voters, with 26% opposed, according to the Monmouth poll released on Tuesday.
It has broad support, with more than 60% from Democrats, independents, liberals, moderates, conservatives, men, women and in all regions of the state. Among Democrats, 87% support the idea.
It falls short of 60% with Republicans and conservatives. Among Republicans, 49% support the increase and 45% are opposed.
The measure would raise the state’s minimum wage to $10 an hour on Sept. 30, 2021, and increase it by $1 each year until it hits $15 an hour on Sept. 30, 2026.
The minimum wage in Florida is currently $8.56 an hour. Under a previous
voter-approved amendment to the state Constitution, the minimum increases each year by the rate of inflation.
Business groups, including the restaurant and lodging industries, opposed the referendum before the coronavirus pandemic, and they’ve continued their criticism since the economic slowdown.
Monmouth University surveyed 428 Florida voters from Sept. 10 to 13 with live callers, in English and Spanish, to landlines and cellphones.
The sample was drawn from a list of registered voters. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
The sample size for subgroups, such as Republicans or Democrats, is smaller, so the margin of error is higher.