In a recent case in Florida, an owner of four restaurants was ordered to repay $253,000 in back wages to 93 workers.  According to evidence presented to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida Juan Zarinana, the owner of the restaurants failed to pay wages to servers who were reliant only on tips.  The direct wage for tipped employees in Florida is $7.98 per hour and the Federal rate is $2.13 per hour.  The restaurants concerned also failed to pay overtime rates for time worked over 40 hours in a week.

Following complaints, the Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division will investigate and pursue legal remedies in the event of any contravention of the Fair Labor Standards Act.