We may be about to see something in Florida that's been downright scarce for years.
A Florida panther? Nope. Lower electric rates? No way. A hurricane? Let's hope not.
Try bigger paychecks.
After too many years of stagnant earnings, the new year has ushered in a fresh wave of bullish expectations about the prospects for real raises in 2015.
"There are new signs that American workers, especially at the middle and low end of the pay scale, may finally start having enough negotiating leverage to demand wage increases in excess of inflation," writes Neil Irwin, the "Everyday Economics" writer for the New York Times.
"The consumer is finally recovering — and is a coiled spring. As more Americans go back to work and spend more, it will boost the economy even faster," says Kristina Hooper, U.S. investment strategist for Allianz Global Investors in a CNN Money article.
"The bigger wage gains that have so far eluded American workers probably will begin to materialize this year as the job market tightens," reports Bloomberg News, based on a recent poll of economists.
Florida wage hikes won't be leading the way. But with state unemployment down to 5.8 percent, we're entering territory where businesses increasingly must steal new employees from competitors. And to do that, they will have to start paying more.
Financial service giant Aetna recognized the tightening labor market and on Monday took preemptive action. The company said it plans to boost the incomes of its lowest-paid workers by as much as a third. The goal is to attract strong job prospects but also reduce turnover.
Overall, 12 percent of Aetna's domestic workforce, mostly employees in customer service and billing-related jobs, will see a raise to a floor of $16 an hour. That's $33,000 a year for a 40-hour week.
At Aetna's Tampa service center that hike will affect nearly 200 employees, as well as 780 employees statewide and 5,700 nationwide.
For most of us, getting a raise is hardly a get-rich-quick scenario. Nationwide, hourly earnings for employees on company payrolls will advance 2 percent to 3 percent on average, most economists surveyed this month told Bloomberg. Last year, earnings climbed 1.7 percent,
Rising expectations were reinforced in a University of Florida survey that found consumer confidence among Floridians in December reached a postrecession high.
On Jan. 1, 20 states raised their minimum wage. Florida's climbed to $8.05, a mere 12 cent per-hour increase. But it is an increase, part of a larger trend to raise wages.
In St. Petersburg, the city and its employees' union recently agreed to a minimum wage of $12.50 per hour that Mayor Rick Kriseman proposed for city workers, with a goal of reaching $15 per hour. Pinellas County commissioners are exploring a similar plan for county workers.
None of this would be happening without a rebounding economy.
Contact Robert Trigaux at rtrigaux@tampabay.com. Follow @venturetampabay.