A Florida circuit court judge in Tallahassee on May 3 ordered state officials to recalculate the minimum wage to $7.31 per hour for 2011, after finding that the state violated the Florida Constitution by reducing the rate because of deflation (Cadet v. Agency for Workforce Innovation, Fla. Cir. Ct., No. 2011-CA-0072, 5/3/11). In a two-page order, Judge Terry P. Lewis of the Florida Circuit Court, Second Judicial Circuit, also ordered the Agency for Workforce Innovation to publish a notice of the hike and enjoined the state agency from “continuing to withhold” the greater rate.
Under the circuit court order, the Florida minimum wage will increase from $7.25 to $7.31 per hour, effective June 1, 2011. The minimum wage for tipped workers will increase from $4.23 to $4.29 per hour. It is unknown at this point if the state will appeal the ruling.
