Under the proposal, to be considered during the 2026 state legislative session that begins in January, workers would be able to voluntarily accept pay below the minimum wage when employed in \u201cwork-study, internship, preapprenticeship, or other similar work-based learning opportunity.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A similar proposal (HB 541<\/a>) was filed by Chamberlin for consideration by the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature during the 2025 session, but failed to pass. Florida Senate leader Ben Albritton previously told reporters<\/a> about the proposal, at the tail end of this year\u2019s session, \u201cI don\u2019t love it, to tell you the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n Florida\u2019s minimum wage currently sits at $14 an hour for most employees \u2014 one of the highest minimum wage rates in the U.S. South \u2014 and is $10.98 for tipped workers. Under a constitutional amendment approved by Florida voters in 2020, Florida\u2019s minimum wage is set to increase to $15 next September and rise with inflation after that. The federal minimum wage, last adjusted in 2009, still sits at a measly $7.25 per hour.<\/p>\n \u201cThe minimum wage in Florida as currently codified in our state constitution has become a weight on Florida\u2019s economy and a hindrance to workers seeking to improve their personal finances,\u201d Rep. Chamberlin said in a statement explaining his bill. \u201cWage controls are always enacted with good intentions but lead to a decrease in opportunities. We must seek alternative options like career development and continued education to ensure workers are receiving the skills needed to compete in today\u2019s economy.\u201d<\/p>\n Chamberlin\u2019s 2025 proposal earned harsh rebuke earlier this year from organized labor, faith leaders and student activists, with critics arguing the bill would lead to opportunities for exploitation. <\/p>\n \u201cIt opens up the doors for businesses to exploit its workers, especially young people [and] low-income families, by unknowingly waiving their right to a fair wage,\u201d argued Satin Fye, a \u201cproud unionist\u201d from Miami-Dade County, speaking to a Florida House committee back in April. \u201cThis bill is anti-worker, it is anti-family and it is anti-Florida,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Critics also argued that, if the proposal passed, employers would simply redefine entry-level jobs as \u201cinternships\u201d in order to circumvent minimum wage requirements and pay more workers less. Current federal and state law already allows employers to pay certain workers less than minimum wage, including some workers with disabilities and youth workers for the first 90 days of employment. Independent contractors and freelancers are also not guaranteed a minimum wage under federal or state law.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are already multiple avenues under federal law that allow for lower minimum wages for student learners and apprentices,\u201d Nina Mast, an economic analyst for the Economic Policy Institute, previously told Orlando Weekly. \u201cBut this Florida bill really massively expands those classifications,\u201d she said, speaking of Chamberlin\u2019s earlier bill.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that the concern is that it creates an opportunity for exploitation and to essentially find a rationale to pay basically anyone the lower minimum wage by characterizing your work as work-based learning,\u201d Mast added.<\/p>\n As of publication, no Senate version of Chamberlin\u2019s bill has yet been filed for consideration during the 2026 session. In the 2025 legislative session, Republican Sen. Jonathan Martin sponsored the minimum wage proposal (SB 676) in the Florida Senate. Both chambers must approve of the proposal in order for the legislation to pass and head to the governor\u2019s office for final approval.<\/p>\n Chamberlin\u2019s bill, as filed for the 2026 session, does include certain guardrails. It would require that employers pay all eligible workers at least the federal minimum wage. It would also make an employee\u2019s waiver to opt out of the state minimum wage valid for up to nine months only. After that, \u201cthe employee must be paid at or above the state minimum wage regardless of his or her position or job title with the employer,\u201d the bill reads.<\/p>\n As Orlando Weekly has reported, Florida has a weak mechanism<\/a> for actually enforcing the state minimum wage, and for holding employers accountable when or if they pay their employees less. A proposed amendment to Chamberlin\u2019s 2025 bill filed by Orlando\u2019s state Rep. Anna Eskamani sought to establish a stronger enforcement mechanism<\/a> for Florida workers cheated of pay. That proposal, however, was rejected by her Republican colleagues earlier this year.<\/p>\n Florida\u2019s 2026 legislative session, meanwhile, is scheduled to convene on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026 and last 60 days.<\/p>\n Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us:\u00a0Apple News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0Bluesky<\/a>\u00a0| Or sign up for our\u00a0RSS Feed<\/a><\/p>\n Related Stories<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\u2018I don\u2019t love it, to tell you the truth,\u2019 Florida Senate president Ben Albritton told reporters\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tThe proposal would in part erase local living wage laws in cities like Orlando, Tampa and Miami\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n \t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Florida](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/ff15-31.webp\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Florida](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/fightfor15-2.webp\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Florida](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/adobestock_324061668.webp\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n