PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Florida’s minimum wage will increase by one dollar an hour on Wednesday. 

The pay bump to $12 an hour comes after voters approved a $1 an hour pay raise per year in Florida until minimum wage tops out at $15 an hour.

What You Need To Know

  • Florida's minimum wage climbs to $12 an hour 

  • The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour

  • CareerSource Pinellas says the wage bump isn't enough to combat inflation

  • Inflation year-over-year was at 7.3% in the Tampa Bay Region

The action passed by voters happened before the pandemic and inflation, and today, the pay increase isn’t coming close to keeping up with the rate of inflation in the Tampa region since 2021.

CEO of CareerSource Pinellas Steve Meyer says despite the pay bump, some families are being priced out of living in the region.

“Even with the minimum wage increase, it’s still not what we call a living wage here in Pinellas County,” said Meyer. “In the Sun Coast region, the median wage for families is about $60,000. United Way has indicated for a family of four to live comfortably, you need about $80,000, and that doesn’t even take into account child-care and transportation barriers.”

CareerSource Pinellas said between 30 and 50 percent of families are “housing constrained,” meaning the majority of their salary goes to pay for housing.

With rent and housing prices high, some families can no longer afford to live in the Bay area.

According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the Tampa Bay Region saw inflation of 7.3% in the past 12 months.