The Florida Coaches Coalition is hopeful that a bill to improve high school coaches' pay will be presented to state legislators by January.
"I am 100 percent hopeful, and I am 100 percent sure that we will have some sort of a bill in front of the House and Senate next session," Dr. Andrew Ramjit, executive director of the FCC, told the USA Today. "I think this is a continuation of what we've been doing for years and getting into front of the right people."
Ramjit, along with a number of college and high school coaches, as well as former Tampa Bay All-Pro fullback Mike Alstott, met with Florida legislators from both the House and Senate last Tuesday, and all came away optimistic that changes are on the way.
The USA Today reported that the bill, sponsored by Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, and State Rep. Adam Anderson, R-Palm Harbor, would set coaches' pay at minimum wage, which will be $15 an hour starting in September 2026. Football head coaches would be required to work a minimum of 1,500 hours a year, which would mean a $22,500 stipend. Football offensive and defensive coordinators would be required to work 1,000 hours a year for a $15,000 stipend.
Head coaches in sports such as baseball, basketball, softball and volleyball would be required to work a minimum of 750 hours, which would be an $11,250 stipend. Head coaches in soccer, cheerleading, wrestling, track, lacrosse and swimming would be required to work a minimum of 500 hours, which is a $7,500 stipend. Water polo, cross country, golf, tennis, flag football, weightlifting and bowling would be required to work at least 250 hours, which is a stipend of $3,750.
Currently, coaches are paid by stipends, with each county determining its rate. So, a bowling head coach in Miami-Dade made $1,955 per season in 2023-24, while Orange County paid just $941 for the same position.
"It was a positive experience. Going into it, I didn’t have much hope that anything would change," said Cocoa football coach Ryan Schneider. "After talking to state legislators, I think something will be happening moving forward. That’s how I really feel.
"A lot of legislators were shocked when they found out how much we're getting paid."
