The Miami Beach City Commission has unanimously approved an ordinance that will raise the city's minimum wage by more than $5 per hour by the year 2020.
The ordinance, which was proposed by Mayor Philip Levine and co-sponsored by all six city commissioners, was approved Wednesday and will take effect Jan. 1, 2018.
Miami Beach will become the first city in the state to set a citywide minimum wage, officials said. The ordinance would set the minimum wage at $10.31 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 world-wide for taking on its challenges with meaningful solutions," Levine said in a statement. "Today, my colleagues joined me in passing legislation that addresses the growing gap between wages and the cost of living in South Florida by establishing a minimum living wage for our community."
City officials said the wage increase will help offset the higher cost of living in Miami Beach. After 2021, city commissioners could annually consider whether to implement a wage increase.
