A House committee moved Thursday to overrule local governments on all forms of compensation, something supporters say would create consistency for businesses but opponents say is a power grab on the part of the state.
The State Affairs Committee approved a measure (HB 655) pre-empting those local rules on a 12-5 party-line vote. The measure would extend an existing ban on cities and counties setting their own minimum wages, preventing local governments and voters from setting policies on forms of compensation like earned sick leave. The bill would also bar preferences for local government contracts based on wages or compensation.
A similar measure (SB 726) was scheduled to be voted on by the Senate Community Affairs Committee, but the hearing on that bill was postponed.
In the House, the clash came between those representing employers and unions and advocates for increased benefits.
Carol Dover, president of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, said the bill was needed to make sure that businesses know what the rules are at all times.
"It is critical that in this state as diverse as we are ... that our industries are regulated uniformly from one part of the state to the next," she said.
The immediate spark for the legislation appears to have been a proposed ordinance on earned sick time in Orange County that voters could soon approve. Opponents of the measure say that the state should leave local governments alone, especially if the Legislature isn't willing to strengthen protections for workers on its own.
"We think it is wrong for Tallahassee to intervene in a situation where the community came together, found a local solution, and wants the chance to vote on something," said Stephanie K. Porta of Organize Now for Florida's Future.
Rep. Jim Waldman, D-Coconut Creek, said the Legislature was poorly positioned to handle the issue, which he said should be left to cities and counties.
"We come to the issue really of, who knows the local communities best? And the reality is it's not us in Tallahassee," he said.
But House Majority Leader Steve Precourt, the Orlando Republican who sponsored the bill, stressed the need for consistency and brushed away the idea that voters' voices wouldn't be heard.
"We're saying let the voters speak, but on a statewide issue the voters need to speak at a statewide level," he said.
