Proposal To Up The Minimum Wage Makes Florida Fall Ballot POSTED: 6:14 pm EDT July 27, 2004 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A proposed constitutional amendment to create a state minimum wage that starts at $6.15 and is tied to inflation made the November ballot Tuesday when it cleared the signature threshold.
The federal minimum wage, which hasn't changed in seven years, is $5.15. The minimum wage citizen's initiative has more than 531,000 verified signatures, according to the state Division of Elections. That's more than the 488,722 required of petition drives to make the ballot. The measure is backed by the national group ACORN, which has pushed for higher wages in cities across the country. Sponsors collected more than 900,000 signatures in their campaign. The state Supreme Court had already given the measure the go-ahead for the ballot, finding it was clearly explained in its ballot title and summary and dealt with only one subject. Four other proposed constitutional amendments are already on the ballot. One would open the door to a future parental notice law dealing with teen abortions and one would allow South Florida voters to decide if they want to permit slots at race tracks and jai-alai frontons. -------------------------------------------------------------- Please Note: Due to Florida's very broad public records law, most written communications to or from College employees regarding College business are public records, available to the public and media upon request. Therefore, this e-mail communication may be subject to public disclosure.