Should Florida Business Go Cashless?

It is no doubt that in the new era of post modernism and technology many of the cultural norms Americans are used to have shifted. One of those being the switch from cash to card or apple pay. According to Micheal Faveiro of the Pew Research Center “Today, roughly four-in-ten Americans (41%) say none of their purchases in a typical week are paid for using cash, up from 29% in 2018 and 24% in 2015.” Faveiro And this only continues to climb.

On January 1st, SB-106 was investigated for proposal (though it has yet to pass). This bill requires many businesses to start requiring cash and a card or app payment, as more businesses refuse to accept cash payments.

The legislation, introduced in the Florida House in September and the state Senate in October, would require certain businesses to accept cash payments “for any transaction involving the purchase of any tangible good or any service” and would bar merchants from adding fees to or placing conditions on cash transactions,

SB-106 and its House counterpart, HB-106 which have both high support, are currently discussed in committees of the legislature.

Senator Shevrin Jones proposes that this bill would insist that the people who can’t access cashless payments, such as students and older people. And would require all basic businesses such as stores and restaurants to accept cash.

There are exemptions to the legislation Florida lawmakers are weighing. It wouldn’t apply to sales occurring online, by phone or mail, or businesses offering services from accountants, attorneys, consultants, financial advisers and certain other trades, according to the text of the bill.

Additionally, merchants wouldn’t have to accept cash for transactions if they suspect counterfeit bills are being used, or if a customer is trying to use cash denominations larger than $20.

Many businesses in Florida continually decide to accept cash payments because it is more accessible and consistent and avoids cash fraud. Cindy, the manager of Basilic in Boca Raton, accepts cash but is secretly very frustrated.

“It is easier when everyone uses a card because I have to spend more time after hours doing the math to divide up payments when more valuable things need to be done. When everything is on the card, the computer does everything for me. Sadly, a fraction of my customers still use cash, and I always accept it because I don’t want my customers to feel unwanted. So I support the bill so I don’t risk losing profit. But I would like a cashless society for my business,” Cindy explained

It seems as easy as it goes utterly cashless in our society, and what the government is doing is meaningless. Many organizations, such as the NAACP, demand that businesses accept cash. Who argues that a cashless business will negatively impact people of color, immigrants, and other people who are of low status and cannot open a checking account to be able to use a card? And that allowing businesses to go cashless is discriminatory.

Many business managers who work in these communities are very fond of the bill and primarily rely on cash payments from lower-income neighborhoods, such as Dev, who manages the mini-mart of a Florida Mobile.

“I favor the bill because most of my customers are of lower income and don’t have much savings to open a checking account. So if the bill doesn’t pass and the corporation decides to go card. I will lose a large fraction of my profit,” Dev explained.

The back and forth towards these issues is clear, but it is essential to remember why many small business managers enjoy being card only, especially for large busy restaurants constantly serving and using cash and taking time to produce change.

According to Modern Restaurant Management, “a cashless restaurant model means small business owners don’t have to worry about the anxieties that come with housing a large amount of money on the premises, such as robbery, employee theft, counterfeits, and expensive human error” Campbell.

Many local Restaurant managers highly agree with these benefits and are no fans of this bill. Such as Amy who is the manager of Bazille In Boca Raton Town Center Mall.

“We have this place full all shift and when customers pay cash everyone has to fumble around with change and putting it into the computer and moving everything around under pressure damages the business. I wish we could be cashless so we wouldn’t have to deal with that struggle. That’s why I’m not in favor of the bill, “ Amy explained.

Jason Steinfeld is the writer. For more information about this article or others, you can reach him via Instagram @jasonsteinfeld221 or email him at @This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Citations

Cashless retail transactions promotes discrimination in our communities. NAACP. (2017, June 13). https://naacp.org/resources/cashless-retail-transactions-promotes-discrimination-our-communities

Faverio, M. (2022, October 5). More Americans are joining the “cashless” economy. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/10/05/more-americans-are-joining-the-cashless-economy/#:~:text=Still%2C%20roughly%20six%2Din%2D,are%20paid%20for%20using%20cash.&text=Pew%20Research%20Center%20conducted%20this,practice%20has%20changed%20over%20time.

The Florida Senate. Senate Bill 106 (2024) — The Florida Senate. (n.d.). https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2024/106

Mullen, C. (2024, January 5). Florida weighs cashless ban. Payments Dive. https://www.paymentsdive.com/news/florida-bill-cashless-ban-requiring-cash-acceptance-payments/703761/

(https://modernrestaurantmanagement.com), M. R. M. 2024. (2020, April

1). Pros and cons of a cashless restaurant business: Modern Restaurant Management: The Business of Eating & Restaurant Management News. Modern Restaurant Management. https://modernrestaurantmanagement.com/pros-and-cons-of-a-cashless-restaurant-business