ORLANDO, Fla. — High school football coaches are taking their push for better pay to the Florida Legislature.
The Florida Coaches Coalition is spearheading a bill that would raise the minimum wage for coaches to $15 an hour. Florida high school football coaches make between $3,000-$6,000 a year.
“It’s pretty atrocious,” said Andrew Ramjit, with the Florida Coaches Coalition.
The coalition said low pay is one of the reasons for the statewide coaching shortage. There are 120 coaching vacancies out of 604 football programs across the state.
Even with that shortage, Florida is still at the top of the list when it comes to top-tier football talent. Nearly 180 players on NFL rosters this year came from Florida high schools. In the last seven NFL drafts, 216 players were Fl. Were selected. That is more than any other state.
Ramjit, parents, and local booster club leaders say coaches are a huge part of that success.
“These men are just dedicating so much of themselves back to our student athletes,” Ramjit said. “I think it’s about time we do something for them.”
The bill championed by the coalition will raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour for all coaches. For example, a head coach who works 1,500 hours will earn $22,500 per year. The bill would also strip unions of the authority to make pay decisions for coaches. There is also a provision in the bill that would allow booster clubs to contribute to the salaries of coaches. That will make pay more competitive.
"That’s how they do in Georgia, and when you look at the compensation of those coaches in Texas and Georgia, they’re averaging well over six figures right now."
The big question for many is, where will the money come from? There are several possible funding options: a hemp tax, a state lottery, and specialized license plates.
“They’ll find a formula that works because I really think they realize the urgency and the need,” said Ramjit.
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