Rep. Demi Busatta, a Coral Gables Republican who grew up in the restaurant industry, apparently has seen enough of some tipping policies.

On Wednesday, Busatta successfully proposed a change to a bill to prevent restaurants from imposing automatic gratuities or service charges when parties include five or fewer people.

“In Miami, we’ve seen a growing circumstance where all the restaurants are automatically including a 20 percent gratuity, or they’re calling it gratuity or service charge or service fee or tip, not just on regular sitdown meals but on take-out as well at fast-casual establishments,” Busatta said.

During the past weekend, Busatta said she received a restaurant bill in Miami that had a service fee and a pre-set gratuity, while also providing a line to include a tip.

The House Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee added Busatta’s change to a bill (HB 535) designed to allow operators of public lodging establishments to remove guests for failing to pay on time.

Samantha Padgett, general counsel of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association, which backed the initial version of the bill, said Busatta and all customers deserve transparency on their restaurant tabs. But Padgett added the change “will significantly, negatively impact the income for servers in Florida.”

Padgett said a gratuity is anything customers pay at their own volition, while service charges might cover delivery costs, credit card fees or even employee health-care benefits.

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This article appears in Mar 13-19, 2025.