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Does Florida have a prevailing wage law for construction workers

Use the free tool — Prevailing Wage Lookup

Does Florida have its own prevailing wage law?

No. Florida repealed its state prevailing wage law in 1979. Today, Fla. Stat. 218.77 goes further: it stops local governments — cities and counties — from requiring a prevailing wage on their own contracts.

So on a state, county, or city job in Florida, there is normally no prevailing wage requirement at all.

When does a prevailing wage rule apply here?

Only federal money triggers it. The Davis-Bacon Act (40 U.S.C. § 3142) requires the locally prevailing wage and fringe benefit on federal construction contracts above $2,000.

• Direct federal contracts — roads, federal buildings, military bases.
• "Related Acts" projects — federally assisted work such as HUD housing, FHWA-funded roads, or EPA-funded water systems — can also be covered.

If you are not sure who is funding your job, that is the first question to ask.

How do I find my actual rate?

Nobody can quote you a dollar figure from memory — rates change by wage determination and by modification number. The only official source is SAM.gov Wage Determinations.

• Look up the determination for your state, county, and type of construction.
• Find the line for your classification — laborer, electrician, carpenter, operator, plumber, and so on.
• Read it as base rate plus fringe. Fringe can be paid to you in cash, or as a bona fide benefit like health insurance.

See the U.S. Department of Labor's overview of the rules at dol.gov.

What about overtime?

On a covered federal job, the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act requires 1.5 times the base rate for hours worked over 40 in a week. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act's overtime rule applies regardless of whether Davis-Bacon covers the job.

Keep your own daily log of hours and classification worked. Don't rely on memory later.

What if my pay looks short?

A covered contractor must post the wage determination at the jobsite (29 C.F.R. § 5.5(a)(1)). If you don't see one, that's a question to ask — not proof of a violation.

• Don't walk off the job or confront the foreman.
• Write down your hours, classification, and pay each day.
• Ask payroll, in writing, which wage determination applies and what the fringe line shows.
• If it's not resolved, call the U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division at 1-866-487-9243, in English or Spanish. Retaliation for asking is prohibited.

See dol.gov/agencies/whd/contact/complaints.

What to do next

The free tool reads your own trade, county, and job details — not a generic example — and tells you whether your job is likely covered, and how to read your own rate and fringe line on the official determination. Nothing you enter is stored. This page and the tool are not legal advice; confirm anything important with the U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division or a qualified professional.

Prevailing Wage Lookup explains federal and Florida rules in plain language; it can be wrong, and it is not legal advice. It never states a rate — rates are read from the official wage determination at sam.gov. Questions and complaints: U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243. Nothing you paste is stored.