In 2020, Floridians spoke clearly and decisively. Voters from every corner of the state came together to raise Florida’s minimum wage and lock it into our Constitution. That vote wasn’t close, and it wasn’t confusing. It reflected a shared belief that anyone who works in Florida deserves a basic level of dignity and pay they can live on.

Now, that decision is under threat.

House Bill 221 would allow employers to pay workers less than the minimum wage simply by rebranding jobs as “work-based learning opportunities.” A different label doesn’t change the reality: the work is real, the labor has value, and the bills still need to be paid. Calling a job something else shouldn’t be a loophole to pay people less.

Supporters of this bill argue it’s about opportunity. But opportunity should never mean poverty wages. Many Floridians working in so-called “learning” roles are not teenagers looking for extra cash. They are adults with families, rent or mortgages, and responsibilities they can’t put on hold for nine months of sub-minimum pay.

Allowing lower wages for these positions creates incentives for abuse, including cycling workers through short-term roles or pressuring people to accept lower pay just to stay employed. The bill relies on trust that exploitation won’t happen, without clear safeguards if it does.

This issue was already settled by voters—and written into the Florida Constitution. Undermining that vote sends a dangerous message that powerful interests can override the public whenever the outcome is inconvenient.

We are calling on the Florida House of Representatives, the Florida Senate, and Governor Ron DeSantis to respect the will of the voters and reject HB 221. Florida’s economy depends on workers, and workers deserve to be paid fairly for their time and labor.

Florida should be creating pathways to stability, not carving out exceptions that push working people backward. We shouldn’t be creating avenues to pay people less.