The Fort Lauderdale minimum wage is $14.00 per hour through September 29, 2026, and rises to $15.00 per hour on September 30, 2026.1Florida Department of Commerce. Minimum Wage in Florida – Notice to Employees Fort Lauderdale uses the Florida statewide rate because Florida Statute 218.077 bars cities and counties from setting their own wage floors.2The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 218.077 – Wage and Employment Benefits Requirements by Political Subdivisions; Restrictions Workers in Fort Lauderdale earn the same minimum as workers in Miami, Tampa, or Jacksonville.
Current Rate and the September 2026 Increase
The $14.00 rate took effect on September 30, 2025. On September 30, 2026, it climbs to $15.00 per hour. That increase is the last scheduled step from the constitutional amendment Florida voters approved in 2020.3Florida Department of State Division of Elections. Initiatives / Amendments / Revisions Database After that, future adjustments are tied to inflation using the CPI-W, calculated each year for a September effective date.4Florida Department of State Division of Elections. Raising Florida’s Minimum Wage – Full Text
The federal minimum wage is still $7.25 per hour. When a state rate is higher, workers are entitled to the state rate, so the federal figure doesn’t change what any Fort Lauderdale employer owes. Every employer in the city, regardless of size, must pay at least the Florida rate.
Pay Rules for Tipped Workers
Tipped employees in Fort Lauderdale restaurants, bars, and hotels have a different cash wage but the same minimum earnings floor. Employers may take a tip credit of $3.02 per hour, which means the required direct cash wage is $10.98 per hour through September 29, 2026, and $11.98 per hour starting September 30, 2026.5U.S. Department of Labor. Minimum Wages for Tipped Employees
Cash wage plus tips must reach the full minimum ($14.00 now, $15.00 after September 30) every pay period. If a slow shift leaves a server short on tips, the employer owes the difference. Hoping tips cover it is not compliance.
Managers and supervisors cannot take any share of a tip pool or tip jar, even when they do tipped work during a shift. Someone counts as a manager if they regularly direct two or more employees, have hiring or firing authority, and have management as a primary duty. Owners with at least a 20% equity stake are treated as managers automatically.6U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 15B – Managers and Supervisors Under the Fair Labor Standards Act and Tips
Who Is and Isn’t Covered
Florida’s minimum wage covers almost everyone working as an employee in Fort Lauderdale. The main people outside its reach are independent contractors, who are not employees at all, and workers who qualify for specific exemptions under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.7U.S. Department of Labor. Wages and the Fair Labor Standards Act
Salaried Exempt Employees
Workers in executive, administrative, or professional roles can be exempt from both minimum wage and overtime, but only if they earn at least $684 per week ($35,568 per year) on a salary basis and their actual duties meet the test for the exemption. A manager title and a salary alone do not make someone exempt; the job has to involve genuine supervision, independent judgment on significant matters, or advanced specialized knowledge.
Workers Under 20
Federal law allows a youth training wage of $4.25 per hour for workers under age 20 during their first 90 consecutive calendar days with an employer.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 206 – Minimum Wage After 90 days, or when the worker turns 20, the full Florida minimum wage applies. Employers cannot fire or cut hours for existing staff to replace them with cheaper youth labor. The 90-day window resets with each new employer.
What Employers Must Post and Keep
Every Florida employer must display both the state and federal minimum wage posters where employees can see them, and must swap in the updated state poster each September when the rate changes.9Florida Department of Commerce. Display Posters and Required Notices
Payroll records for every non-exempt employee must be kept for at least three years, covering daily hours, total weekly hours, pay rate, and all additions or deductions. Supporting documents like time cards, schedules, and wage rate tables must be kept for at least two years.10U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 21 – Recordkeeping Requirements Under the Fair Labor Standards Act When records are missing, courts often credit the employee’s own estimate of hours worked, so sloppy recordkeeping tends to cost employers dearly in a wage dispute.
If You’ve Been Underpaid
Florida has no state agency that investigates minimum wage complaints. That surprises a lot of workers. Your two real options are a federal complaint or a private lawsuit.
Federal Complaint
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division enforces minimum wage law in Florida. You can call 1-866-487-9243 or file through the agency’s online portal.11U.S. Department of Labor. How to File a Complaint Complaints are confidential; the agency will not disclose your name, the nature of the complaint, or whether a complaint exists at all. The Division then decides whether to open an investigation.
Lawsuit, Damages, and Deadlines
You can also sue directly in state or federal court. An employer who underpaid you owes the full unpaid wages plus an equal amount in liquidated damages, which doubles the recovery, and the court must award reasonable attorney fees to the employee who wins.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 216 – Penalties An employer can escape the liquidated damages only by proving both good faith and reasonable grounds for believing it was in compliance; not knowing the rules is not enough.
The deadline is generally two years from the date of the violation, extended to three years if the violation was willful.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 255 – Statute of Limitations Waiting cuts off the earliest pay periods even when the underpayment continued for years.
Retaliation Is Illegal
Firing, demoting, cutting hours, or otherwise punishing a worker for filing a wage complaint, cooperating with an investigation, or testifying in a wage proceeding is prohibited under federal law.14Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 215 – Prohibited Acts Remedies for retaliation include reinstatement, lost wages, and liquidated damages equal to those lost wages.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 216 – Penalties The protection applies even if the underlying complaint turns out to be wrong.