Nicklaus Children’s Health System has made the decision to increase its minimum wage starting in September of 2021 to the new standard required by Florida constitutional mandate a full five years ahead of the timeline for full adoption.
While the health system’s current minimum hourly rate is already above the existing state minimum, the early adoption of the 2026 mandated $15 minimum is aimed at ensuring all Nicklaus Children’s staff are paid a fair and competitive wage in today’s increasingly expensive South Florida market. The health system will in fact set its minimum at $15.05 starting in September.
In addition, by December 31, 2021, the health system will conclude a review of approximately 1,400 positions in compensation tiers above the revised minimum to ensure fairness and marketplace balance across the health system, which employs a workforce of more than 4,000. It is expected that by December, most employees already earning $15 will receive increases to keep them above the new minimum and approximately 60 percent of employees will have received salary adjustments.
“South Florida is a costly place to live and has become even more so in recent months given the challenges brought on by the pandemic,” said Matthew A. Love, president and CEO of the health system. “We recognize the hard work our teams have been doing to provide amazing patient care to the children and families we serve amid these challenges. We also recognize that we must invest in our people to continue delivering the best care to every child. Therefore, Nicklaus Children’s is committed to providing our family of employees with an attractive wage and benefits package to ensure our sustained position as an employer of choice within the region. ”
About Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Where Your Child Matters Most ™ (2025)
For 75 years, Nicklaus Children's has stood as a beacon of hope for children and families across the state of Florida and beyond. Nicklaus Children's Hospital is South Florida's #1 nonprofit, freestanding specialty licensed hospital exclusively for children serving close to 70 percent of children in the Miami metropolitan community. In addition, Nicklaus Children's offers care within NCH North Hospital in Naples, Jupiter Medical Center's De George Pediatric Unit and select Baptist Health Hospital pediatric emergency units. The hospital and its network of more of nearly 35 outpatient care locations offer lifesaving care in in Miami-Dade, Broward, Martin, and Palm Beach counties. These outpatient locations include an array of urgent care, pediatric primary care, and subspecialty care centers and are either hospital-based or outpatient locations under Nicklaus Children's Pediatric Specialists, LLC (NCPS). Providing a pipeline of future physicians and groundbreaking research, Nicklaus Children's is an academic and clinical affiliate of Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. Nicklaus Children's is home to centers of excellence including the Helen & Jacob Shaham Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute, the Nicklaus Children's Orthopedics, Sports Health and Spine Institute, Nicklaus Children's Neuroscience Institute and Nicklaus Children's Heart Institute. The 325-bed hospital is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine, with many programs routinely ranked among the nation's best by U.S. News & World Report since 2008. Nicklaus Children's also includes a nonprofit physician practice subsidiary with over 40 specialties, and an ambulatory surgery center.