Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine wants to raise his city's minimum wage by more than $5 per hour by the year 2020.
Mayor Levine announced a new ordinance Wednesday that would make Miami Beach the first city in the state to set a citywide minimum wage.
The ordinance would set the minimum wage at $10.31 beginning in 2017 with $1 increases every year until it becomes $13.31 in June 2020. The state's current minimum wage is $8.05 per hour.
"Miami Beach is known worldwide for taking on its challenges with meaningful solutions," Mayor Levine said in a statement. "Today, we are announcing proposed legislation that addresses the growing gap between wages and the cost of living in South Florida by proposing a minimum living wage for our community. We continue to hear stories from our residents who are unable to live and work in Miami Beach because of the high costs of rent, transportation and basic living costs. But today, we start addressing this growing problem through higher wages by establishing a citywide minimum living wage."
Mayor Levine said he will introduce the legislation at the May 11 city commission meeting.
