By Luke Torrance
Tampa Bay Business Journal, Nov 5, 2020
While the country awaits the outcome of the presidential election, Florida business owners are already starting to prepare for an increased minimum wage, which was approved by the state’s voters on Tuesday. ...
Several Tampa Bay small businesses said they thought the wage increase would lead to more spending money that would be invested back into the community.
“A lot of people now, they’re deciding if they’re going to spend their income between food and health care - they’re not buying things that are everyday luxuries, like what we sell,” said Leigh Anne Balzekas, the owner of Disco Dolls in Seminole Heights. “If they have that money, maybe they don’t need to work three jobs, and they have time to go shopping and eat at restaurants.”
That assertion was backed by Danielle Ferrari, who owns Valhalla Resale, a clothing store in Tampa.
“I know firsthand that paying a living wage is good for business,” she wrote in an email. “As the minimum wage increases, it will reduce poverty, strengthen Florida businesses, and lift the economy.”