Despite minimum wage increase and growing Florida economy, many workers are struggling

While Florida is posting near-historic low unemployment rates and strong job growth, experts say that's not the full picture.

Wages for common Florida industries, including leisure and hospitality, are lagging, said Julia Goldman, who studies cost-of-living trends in the greater Tampa Bay region.

“Unemployment is low right now, and there are lots of jobs, that's great,” she said. “But if the basic costs are increasing faster than wages – which they are – that's a huge problem.”