Wednesday, Sept. 30, was the day the last step of Florida's voter-approved minimum wage schedule arrived. FloridaCommerce's minimum wage page says it plainly: "Effective September 30, 2026, the Florida minimum wage will be $15.00 per hour." For any South Florida owner with hourly staff, that sentence turns into a short list of chores: a new poster on the wall, new numbers in payroll, a fresh look at tipped pay, and a second look at anything you sell by the hour.
This guide is written for the people who run those hours, from cafe owners in Delray Beach and salon owners in Hollywood to studio managers in Wynwood and event operators who hire crews by the shift. It is a clock and a checklist, in the order most owners will want to work through it. A few of the pieces sit in different places, so it helps to see them together.
What Changed on Sept. 30
The number itself is simple. Commerce's page describes the background this way: Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment on Nov. 3, 2020 "to gradually increase the state's minimum wage each year until reaching $15.00 per hour in September 2026." The same page adds: "The $15.00 per hour will be effective from September 30, 2026, to December 31, 2027."
Tipped employees have their own direct-wage figure. Florida Trend, in a story from the News Service of Florida, reports: "Tipped employees will also see their base wage increase from $10.98 to $11.98 per hour on Sept. 30." News4Jax reported the same $11.98 figure on Sept. 28. It is worth confirming that your own payroll shows both numbers.
Looking ahead, Florida Trend writes: "Any future increases will be based on inflation." News4Jax says the same about the years beginning in 2027, and Commerce's page is the place to watch for what comes next.
The Poster Comes First
The most visible task is also the quickest. Commerce's page says that "Florida businesses must display Federal and State of Florida employment law posters where they can be easily viewed by employees." Under Florida Statute 448.109, an employer who must pay the Florida minimum wage "shall prominently display a poster" in "a conspicuous and accessible place in each establishment where such employees are employed." The statute also says the poster must be at least 8.5 inches by 11 inches.
Owners with more than one location should note that the statute speaks of each establishment, so a restaurant group, a salon with two storefronts, or a production company with a shop and a stage will want to confirm that every site is covered. The notice also belongs where employees actually pass, which for many businesses means a back-of-house corkboard or a break room wall.
Commerce lists a 2026-2027 minimum wage poster on its page, with links in English, Spanish and Kreyòl, and News4Jax also points employers to Commerce for the notice in English, Spanish and Creole. The safest route is to download the current poster straight from FloridaCommerce's minimum wage page, print it at full size, and take down last year's version. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act poster is listed on that same page for employers who need to refresh it too.
Payroll and the Tipped Wage
Once the poster is up, payroll is next. The steps are ordinary: find every hourly rate below $15.00, update it in your system, and ask your payroll provider or accountant how to treat a pay period that straddles Sept. 30. If you set up rates by hand in a point-of-sale system, a scheduling app, or a spreadsheet, those are worth checking too, since they are often updated separately from the main payroll.
For tipped staff, the arithmetic has a clear source. News4Jax reports: "The allowable FLSA tip credit is $3.02." The outlet adds that tipped employees must receive "a minimum direct wage of $11.98 per hour as of September 30, 2026." The Florida Constitution, in Article X, Sec. 24, allows employers of eligible tipped employees to credit tips "up to the amount of the allowable FLSA tip credit in 2003," which is the framework those reports are describing. In other words, $15.00 less $3.02 gives $11.98, and that is the direct wage your tipped servers, bartenders and similar staff should now see on their pay stubs, with tips on top.
The federal floor sits underneath all of this. The U.S. Department of Labor's Fact Sheet #15 says: "An employer must pay a tipped worker at least $2.13 per hour under the FLSA." It puts the federal minimum wage at $7.25 per hour, and says that when state law differs from the federal law, "an employer must comply with the standard most protective to employees," which is why the Florida numbers are the ones that matter on a Florida payroll. The fact sheet also says employers must give tipped employees certain information before taking a tip credit, including the direct wage being paid and the tip credit amount claimed, so it is sensible to refresh that notice so its numbers match the new rates.
Pricing the Hours You Sell
The third chore is the one that lives on the business side of the ledger. Many South Florida businesses sell time: a salon chair, a photo studio rental with an assistant, a class taught by an hourly instructor, event staffing priced per person per hour, a crew day rate. If any of those prices were built on a labor cost that assumed a lower wage floor, it is a good time to recalculate.
A calm way to do it is to work from one line at a time. Start with the new hourly rate, add whatever your accountant tells you belongs on top of it for payroll taxes and insurance, and compare the result with what that hour brings in. Owners heading into the holiday season may find it easier to adjust quotes now than in the middle of a busy December.
Some owners will change menu or service prices, some will adjust schedules or job roles, and some will find that their existing pricing already has room. The point is simply to look, on purpose, before the next round of estimates goes out.
How It Looks Across Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade
The $15.00 rate applies statewide, so the same Commerce page serves a coffee counter in Boca Raton, a boutique in Coral Gables and a food truck operator in Pompano Beach. Where owners differ is in how much of their payroll is hourly and how much of it involves tips. Restaurants and bars, where tipped pay is common, will want to look closely at the tipped direct wage. Retail shops and salons may pay a mix of hourly and commission pay. Studios, production shops and event companies may pay crew by the day, by the hour, or both, which makes it worth checking each pay arrangement with a payroll professional.
Coverage questions are best settled with a professional. Florida Statute 448.109 says the terms "employer," "employee" and "wage" have the meanings established under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, and News4Jax describes the state rules the same way. That means an owner with unpaid interns, contractors or salaried staff should ask an employment lawyer or accountant how those definitions apply, not rely on a general guide.
The Gazette's Clocks Issue gathers a month of tri-county deadlines in one place, and our owner guides to Boynton Beach small business grants, Broward small business grants and the Miami-Dade District 9 Mom and Pop grant cover the paperwork side of running a local business.
A Short Checklist for October
Here is the whole job in one place, in the order most owners will find easiest:
- Download the 2026-2027 poster from FloridaCommerce, print it at 8.5 by 11 inches or larger, and post it where employees can see it at every location.
- Replace last year's poster, and check that the federal minimum wage poster is current as well.
- Update every hourly rate below $15.00 in payroll, scheduling and point-of-sale systems.
- Set the tipped direct wage at $11.98 per hour and refresh the tip credit notice for tipped staff.
- Ask your payroll provider how to handle any pay period that includes Sept. 30.
- Recalculate the labor cost inside any hourly price or quote before the holiday rush.
- Put a reminder on your calendar to look at Commerce's page again on Oct. 15.
Keeping the Notice and the Numbers Current
Florida Statute 448.110 says the Department of Commerce and the Department of Revenue post the adjusted state minimum wage rate and effective date on their websites "by October 15 of each year," which makes mid-October a natural day for a quick second look. Commerce's current page lists $15.00 through Dec. 31, 2027, so the check is simply to see that the page still reads the same way.
Rules and posters are updated from time to time, and a general article cannot stand in for the source documents. This piece is general information for owners and is not legal advice. The plainest way to stay on solid ground is to check the current poster and the statute yourself, use the links below, and bring specific questions about your own staff and pay setup to an employment attorney, accountant or payroll provider you trust.
Key Facts for Owners and Search
What is Florida's minimum wage as of Sept. 30, 2026? FloridaCommerce says it is $15.00 per hour, effective Sept. 30, 2026, and lists that rate through Dec. 31, 2027.
What is the tipped employee direct wage? Florida Trend and News4Jax both report $11.98 per hour beginning Sept. 30; only Florida Trend reports it is up from $10.98. News4Jax says the allowable tip credit is $3.02.
Do I need a new poster? Commerce lists a 2026-2027 poster, and Florida Statute 448.109 requires covered employers to display the poster prominently in a conspicuous and accessible place in each establishment where covered employees work. The statute sets a minimum size of 8.5 by 11 inches.
What is the federal minimum wage? The U.S. Department of Labor's Fact Sheet #15 lists $7.25 per hour as the federal minimum wage and $2.13 per hour as the federal minimum cash wage for tipped workers. Florida employers follow the more protective standard.
What happens after 2026? Florida Trend and News4Jax both report that future increases will be based on inflation. Commerce's page says $15.00 is effective through Dec. 31, 2027.
Where can I read the sources? FloridaCommerce minimum wage page, Florida Statute 448.109, Florida Statute 448.110, Florida Constitution, Article X, Sec. 24, Florida Trend, News4Jax and U.S. Department of Labor Fact Sheet #15.
