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Politics

Florida Wants Minimum Wage Increase--But Divided on How Much

June 20, 2019 - 11:00am

A new poll shows strong support across Florida to raise the minimum wage in the Sunshine State. 

Quinnipiac University Polling Logo released a poll on Thursday showing three-quarters of Florida voters--76 percent--support raising the minimum wage while only 20 percent support keeping it at $8.46 an hour. Floridians of all political backgrounds, ages, genders, race and education levels support increasing the minimum wage. 

But, in a separate question, Floridians divide on how much the minimum wage should be raised as 9 percent say they want to increase it to more than $15 an hour, 36 percent want it at $15 an hour, 43 percent want less than it and 9 percent want no increase.

Peter Brown, the assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, weighed in on the minimum wage. 

"Maybe it's because so many Floridians remember their first minimum wage job. Whatever the reason, three-quarters of Sunshine State voters think the minimum wage in the state needs to be higher. Many voters, however, aren't ready to go as high as $15 per hour," Brown said. 

Mulling over the poll numbers, Brown said advocates of raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour--including attorney John Morgan--could have problems if they propose an amendment on it to the state constitution in 2020. To pass, a proposed amendment needs 60 percent support on the November ballot. 

"Anything is possible and sentiment could change, but the target of $15 per hour could jeopardize chances for raising the minimum wage if the question is on the ballot in November, 2020,” Brown said. 

Asked about the implementation of a recently added amendment to the state constitution giving felons their voting rights back, Floridians are divided with 45 percent saying the felons should pay all fines, fees and restitutions before being able to vote with 47 percent opposed to the idea. 

“Men support the measure 50 - 43 percent, with women opposed 49 - 41 percent. White voters support payment before voting 51 - 42 percent, while black voters are opposed 61 - 37 percent. Hispanic voters are divided as 40 percent support it and 51 percent oppose it,” Quinnipiac noted. “Support is 69 - 22 percent among Republicans, with Democrats opposed 70 - 24 percent and independent voters split as 43 percent support payment and 48 percent oppose it.” 

Brown compared those numbers to the strong support for raising the minimum wage. 

"There is much less agreement on the question of whether felons who have finished their prison sentences must pay fees, fines and restitution in order to vote," Brown said. 

Asked about whether adults should be able to legally possess small amounts of marijuana for recreational use, 65 percent of Florida say yes while 30 percent say no. 

Turning to guns, 59 percent of Florida voters back a ban on assault weapon sales while 36 percent oppose the idea. Asked if they support stricter gun laws, 58 percent say they do and 38 percent do not. A larger majority--72 percent--think the state needs to do more to address gun violence while 21 percent think Florida is doing enough on the matter while 2 percent think it is doing too much. 

Asked about "allowing trained teachers and school officials to carry guns on school grounds," 39 percent support the idea while 57 percent oppose it. A majority of parents of children in public schools--55 percent--oppose the idea while 40 percent support it. 

Asked what would do more to cut down on gun violence, 55 percent think stricter gun laws would while 34 percent think arming teachers would. Asked if Florida would be safer if more people carried guns, 55 percent say no and 35 percent of those surveyed say yes. 

The poll of 1,279 registered voters in Florida was taken from June 12 through June 17 and had a margin of error of +/- 3.3 percent.  

Comments

What's better than raising the minimum wage? Reducing rents! Why? Because: (1) When you allow for income tax and withdrawal of welfare, a dollar *saved* is worth much more than a dollar *earned* (google "EMTR" and "cliff effect"). (2) Nobody says lower rents would force employers to cut staff! (3) Nobody says lower rents would feed into higher prices for the poor! (4) By definition, the benefit of lower rents isn't competed away in higher rents — as a rise in wages would be. Landlords might even try claw back the *gross* increase in wages, not allowing for the EMTR. (5) Lower rents mean lower barriers to JOB CREATION. Jobs can't exist unless (a) the employers can afford business accommodation [low *commercial* rents], and (b) the employees can afford housing within reach of their jobs, on wages that employers can pay [low *residential* rents]. And how do we reduce rents? Impose rent control? NO!! That makes it less attractive to supply accommodation. But a tax on vacant lots and unoccupied buildings makes it less attractive NOT to supply accommodation! A vacant-property tax of $X/week makes it $X/week more expensive to fail to get a tenant, and thereby REDUCES, by $X/week, the minimum rent that will persuade the owner to accept a tenant. Better still, the economic activity driven by *avoidance* of that tax would broaden the bases of other taxes, allowing their rates to be reduced, so that the rest of us would pay LESS tax!

The many legal Americans are struggling to survive, here in America, a fair and proper wage will insure the backbone of America. A fair and proper wage will insure that America will continue to lead.

I would be interesting in knowing who they ask in these polls. Are they asking mature adults who know a little something about life and earning a living... . . .or very young people who want everything handed to them? I am very sure these polls are slanted. Morgan wants legal marijuana because he will make MILLIONS of dollars off of it. I do not think ANY conservatives were polled.

You, Sir are an idiot. Morgan could care less about making millions off of marijuana. He is a billionaire, and has the richest law firm in the country...

Be careful what you wish for. Raising the minimum wage will make automation more economical.

That's a short term stopgap but no more a solution than outsourcing every job to $5/hour contract workers overseas. Kick all the upstarts who demand enough money to live out of the workforce, and your business fails when not enough people have the money to support it. One person working one job full-time should make one full living. Otherwise, it's a failed business model that's simply been propped up.

Automation is NOT a short term stopgap. It's a huge wave approaching that some will surf on and some will be washed over by. However, restricting immigration will soften the blow of automation. https://lidblog.com/low-skill-jobs-immigration/

"That's a short term stopgap" Au contraire Pierre. From an economics standpoint when you make an investment in new equipment, you do so knowing that you must use the new equipment to get your money out of it. And if the equipment is significantly different from what you've used previously, you have made a decision to change the way things are done. From a game-change standpoint, automation is at the edge of a new revolution driven by computer controlled robotics. In particular, it's about to hit agriculture (planting, weeding, pest control & harvesting) in a way that's going to change the industry in a bigger way than ever before. However, it's going to muscle its way into repetitive action jobs too. Nearly doubling the minimum wage will only hasten the automation revolution.

Here's an interesting article from a few months ago. https://www.roboticstomorrow.com/article/2019/03/agbots-the-fourth-agricultural-revolution-ready-to-take-over-farms/13253

"Kick out" the Illegal Alien Invaders !... THEN we can DISCUSS "minimum wages"... and their regular weekly $U.S. Dollar$ transfer to Mexico and Central & South America etc., via 'wire transfer' ... Washington, D.C. sends ENOUGH of our tax monies (as 'foreign aid') to these countries, as it already is !

Fifteen dollars per hour is no longer a “living wage”. It would take something closer to $20 per hour. Even $18 ($36,000) … after payroll deductions … would be very tight. Disposable income for working families, adjusted for inflation, is just about where it was in the early-to-middle 1970’s … 45 years ago! And, that’s the result of Republicans killing unions and working Republicans stupidly voting against their own best interests!

Minimum wage isn't intended to be a "living wage", it is intended to a first job wage to teenagers and people with no skill set. If you intend to live on one minimum wage job you are destined to be impoverished forever, regardless of what the wage is set at. Why, because everything will be adjusted to account for the new cost of production. I bet you believe socialism is great for the middle class worker too. Nothing like everyone being reduced to equally poor.

"stupidly"?... Your own phrasing defines your own narrow political interests , despite ANY OTHER rational considerations on ANY subject. You're a sad case "VD2020"...

Republicans have repeatedly voted against the Affordable Care Act, against the minimum wage, against Social Security, against Medicare, against Medicaid, against integration, against unemployment compensation, against the Voting Rights Act, against the Civil Rights Act, against the Clean Water Act, against environmental protections, and against an untold number of other policies and programs benefiting the general public and, in many, many cases, themselves! What's "sad" is the ignorance of reality that you apparently embody and definitely peddle here.

I must call out your blatant lie. The no vote on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 consisted of 74% Democrats. Clearly, the 1964 Civil Rights Act could not have been passed without the leadership of Republicans such as Everett Dirksen and the votes of Republicans.

Any rollout of a minimum wage increase is done over time and in steps. What a minimum wage increase does is to stimulate the economy, because it puts money in the pockets of a large sector of people who now can afford to buy more basic goods and services. These individuals become more self reliant. It's a good thing! I hope the amendment passes.

Any rollout of a minimum wage increase is done over time and in steps. What a minimum wage increase does is to stimulate the economy, because it puts money in the pockets of a large sector of people who now can afford to buy more basic goods and services. These individuals become more self reliant. It's a good thing! I hope the amendment passes.

Clown survey with an agenda ( Hilarity DID NOT win as the poll’s prediction fell flat) According to my poll, it’s just a fun read to keep hope alive over on the left fringe.

Actually, Hillary did "WIN" - by about 3,000,000 votes. Trump is president based on an anachronistic and irrelevant technicality known as the electoral college.

That's odd. I didn't see anyone wearing pantsuits made from old vacuum cleaner bags passing out orders from the oval office.

Comments are now closed.

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