A lawmaker in Florida is urging the state to consider sports betting revenue to close the gap in high school coaching pay, according to an News4JAX report.
Rep. Adam Anderson is working with the Florida Coaches Coalition and high-profile college coaches across the Sunshine State to find ways to increase wages for high school coaches. Anderson is thinking outside the box by offering sports betting revenue that is specifically earmarked for coaches as a way to close the pay gap that has led to an abundance of coaches leaving the state or stepping away from the line of work entirely.
Anderson, who has reached out to Florida State head football coach Mike Norvell to discuss the issue, has also spoken with the Governor’s office on how to increase pay.
“All I can say definitively from those conversations is there is an understanding in their office [of the issue] and there is a motivation to do something,” Anderson told News4JAX. “What that is, we’re not there yet. This session, we’ll start fleshing this out through committee. I would say we could have impactful conversations [in committee].”
Florida lawmakers are scheduled to start its next legislative session on March 4, 2025.
Florida Coaches Coalition makes suggestion
The coalition has urged Florida to provide coaches with a $15 minimum wage, which will be the state’s minimum wage starting in September 2026. The minimum wage rate would allow head varsity football coaches to earn up to $22,500 annually tripling current rates.
According to data collected by News4JAX, supplements for an entire year of coaching high school sports in Florida range between $3,038 to $8,317. In the Sunshine State, 64 counties provide supplements to coaches with an average pay increase of around $987.
Only three counties in Florida do not provide supplements for high school coaches.
