ORLANDO, Fla. — At least 18 Florida lawmakers plan to live on a minimum wage this week to draw attention to efforts to increase the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Senators Geraldine Thompson and Victor Torres from Orlando and John Cortes from Kissimmee are participating in the minimum wage challenge.
Starting Monday, the lawmakers will live for five days on $17 per day.
That figure represents what a minimum wage worker has after taxes, childcare and housing are deducted from an $8.05-an-hour paycheck.
The lawmakers -- mostly Democrats -- will also go grocery shopping with a minimum wage worker at the start of the week.
State Sen. Dwight Bullard and Torres are pushing legislation to increase Florida's current minimum wage from $8.05 to $15 an hour.
An increasing number of cities around the country are moving toward a $15 minimum wage.
