**PRESS RELEASE** SEN. GRUTERS, REP. SPROWLS ANNOUNCE OPPOSITION TO BALLOT AMENDMENT 2

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**PRESS RELEASE**

SEN. GRUTERS, REP. SPROWLS ANNOUNCE OPPOSITION TO BALLOT AMENDMENT 2

Dozens of Florida Elected Officials Urge Floridians to Vote No on $15 Mandatory Minimum Wage

Tallahassee, FL — Florida Sen. Joe Gruters, Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, and Florida House Speaker-designate Chris Sprowls today announced their opposition to Ballot Amendment 2, a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot this General Election that mandates a $15 an hour minimum wage. This will force many small businesses across Florida to cut workers hours, lay off employees or close completely.

“Ballot Amendment 2 is a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” Sen. Gruters said. “It will destroy hundreds of small businesses across Florida and kill the jobs they provide to Florida families. Ballot [Amendment 2] puts more than 2 million workers right here in Florida at risk. They could lose hours, they could lose benefits, they could lose their jobs entirely.”

Coming on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ballot Amendment 2 will crush small and family-owned businesses in Florida.

“This idea has failed time and again in cities and states across the country. Government-mandated wages force businesses to reduce the number of employees or limit raises for other employees. Paying some people more inevitably means paying other people less or nothing at all,” Speaker-designate Sprowls said. “The impact will be much worse in Florida — it doesn’t make sense for the minimum wage in Mariana to be the same as the minimum wage in Miami. Proponents of Ballot Amendment 2 claim they are on the side of the people, but they hide the fact that their amendment will cost jobs. That’s not the kind of help that Florida’s workers need or deserve.”

Sen. Gruters and Speaker-designate Sprowls are joined by dozens of other members of the Florida Legislature who are urging Florida voters to oppose Ballot Amendment 2.

For a full list of elected officials urging voters to vote NO on Ballot Amendment 2, visit https://www.amendment2hurtsyou.com/coalition.

Recent reports demonstrate the catastrophic consequences of Ballot Amendment 2 on Florida jobs and businesses:

  • An economic impact study revealed Florida has already lost 336,000 jobs due to COVID-19, and Ballot Amendment 2 will kill another 158,000 jobs.
  • The National Taxpayers Union, a nonprofit that advocates for taxpayer interests at all levels of government, warned the amendment will devastate family-owned small businesses.
  • A Florida TaxWatch economic impact report said that businesses will pay an additional $7.3 billion a year to employ the same number of workers today at a $15 minimum wage.

“Ballot Amendment 2 will devastate our restaurant and hospitality industries, which are already suffering from COVID-19 losses,” said Carol Dover, President & CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “Our small and family-owned businesses will not be strong enough to survive this wage hike, putting many of them out of business and their employees out of work. Stand with Florida employees by voting no on Ballot Amendment 2.”

Amendment 2 Hurts You is a campaign to raise awareness for the consequences of Ballot Amendment 2 on small businesses, workers and the economy.

Learn more about how Ballot Amendment 2 will devastate Florida:

Help save Florida jobs by voting no on Ballot Amendment 2 this November.

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