Florida attorney John Morgan says he will ‘go to war’ for minimum wage increase

ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida’s self-dubbed “Pot Daddy,” attorney John Morgan, said he is ready to "go to war” for minimum wage.

This week, the Florida Supreme Court said voters can decide on a proposed constitutional amendment that would gradually increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026, but opponents said the increase will be bad for business.

Morgan has already increased minimum wage to $15 an hour for his employees and he’s not alone. Disney said its base pay will increase to $15 an hour by 2021 and Universal Studios said its employees will start at $15 an hour in 2023 when its new theme park opens.

University of Central Florida’s director for the institute for economic forecasting, Sean Snaith, said big businesses like Morgan and Morgan, Disney and Universal can absorb the costs, but it’s harder for small businesses.

“Small businesses have less flexibility to handle this. This is for everyone and one size doesn’t’ fit all, that’s for sure,” Snaith said.

Snaith said it could lead to fewer hours for some workers and possibly less pay and fewer jobs.

Supporters gathered more than 760,000 signatures to get the proposed amendment, but they still have a lot of work to make this the law.

Sixty percent of voters have to vote in favor for this to become a law after 2026.

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