On September 30, 2026, Florida's minimum wage rises from $14.00 to $15.00 per hour. This is the last of the $1.00 yearly steps that voters wrote into the Florida Constitution (Article X, Section 24) in 2020. Here is what it means if you are paid by the hour as a security officer.
Who it covers
The Constitution requires employers to pay at least the minimum wage for all hours worked in Florida. The terms "employer," "employee," and "wage" have the same meanings as under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and F.S. 448.110 says the state minimum wage covers the people entitled to the federal minimum wage under the FLSA. Coverage depends on your job and employer, so ask HR if you are unsure whether it applies to you.
What changes on September 30
- Every hour you work in Florida on or after September 30, 2026 must be paid at no less than $15.00.
- If you already earn more than $15.00, the law does not require a raise. It sets a floor, not a pay scale.
- Hours worked before September 30 are still covered by the $14.00 rate, so a pay period that straddles the date can include both.
Your employer is also required by F.S. 448.109 to post the Florida minimum wage notice where employees can see it.
Overtime
Under the FLSA, unless an exemption applies, covered employees must be paid at least 1.5 times their regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. At a $15.00 regular rate, that is at least $22.50 per overtime hour.
A few details matter for guards who pick up extra shifts:
- The workweek is a fixed, recurring 168-hour period set by the employer. It does not have to start on Sunday.
- Hours cannot be averaged across two weeks. Working 50 hours one week and 30 the next still means 10 hours of overtime in the first week.
- Federal law does not require extra pay for weekends or holidays unless those hours push you over 40.
If you work at different pay rates in the same week, calculating the regular rate gets more complex. Ask your payroll department to show you how your overtime was figured.
Tipped workers
Florida lets employers of tipped employees credit tips up to the 2003 federal tip credit, which the U.S. Department of Labor lists as $3.02 for Florida. That makes the minimum cash wage $11.98. Security officers are rarely tipped employees, so this seldom applies.
If you think you were underpaid
Start with your pay stub and your own record of hours, and raise any gap with your supervisor or HR in writing. If it is not resolved:
- State claim: before filing a lawsuit for unpaid Florida minimum wages, F.S. 448.110(6) requires you to send your employer a written notice stating the minimum wage you claim, the actual or estimated dates and hours, and the total amount owed. The employer then has 15 calendar days to pay or resolve it.
- Federal complaint: for federal minimum wage or overtime problems, you can contact the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division at 1-866-487-9243. Complaints are confidential.
- Retaliation is prohibited: both the Florida Constitution and F.S. 448.110 make it unlawful for an employer to take adverse action against you for asserting these rights.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, talk to your employer's HR department or an employment lawyer.
After 2026
The $1.00 steps end here. Starting September 30, 2027, the state calculates an inflation adjustment every year using the CPI-W, and the Constitution says each adjusted rate takes effect the following January 1.
How tessura helps
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