By Laura Layden
Naples Daily News, Nov 19, 2020
... The first wage increase tied to Amendment 2 will come on Sept. 30, 2021, when the minimum pay in Florida will hit $10.00 an hour ...
Some area businesses welcome the minimum wage hike, saying it's long overdue and won't have the dire consequences portrayed by the opposition. ...
More than 160 business owners and executives joined the Florida Business for a Fair Minimum Wage coalition in favor of Amendment 2. T hey contend that raising the minimum wage will boost the consumer buying power that businesses depend on to survive and grow. And they say it will also pay off in reduced employee turnover, increased productivity and better customer service because employees will feel happier and more appreciated with higher pay.
Tom Williams, the owner of Williams Agencies, a life insurance business with an office in Fort Myers, supported the change, which he thinks is sorely needed.
He's paid his starting workers at least $12 an hour for more than two years — and before that his lowest earners made $10, he said.
Williams has no qualms about raising his minimum hourly pay to $15 over the next few years. Paying higher wages, he said, has paid off in spades for his business.
"It helps with morale in the office," Williams said. "It helps with teamwork. I think companies grow because of a group of people, not because of the owners."
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