It’s finally official.
There won’t be one or two Florida sales tax holidays to help residents save money on disaster supplies.
Instead, there will be a permanent sales tax exemption on specific disaster preparedness items.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Florida’s fiscal 2025-2026 budget Monday, June 30. The approved $117.4 billion budget was signed after DeSantis struck out $567 million in line-item vetoes.
Here’s what you should know.
Florida sales-tax holidays for disaster supplies goes away
In prior years, Florida residents took advantage of one or two, two-week sales tax holidays to save money on hurricane supplies ranging from batteries to generators. Even pet supplies had been included in years past.
The two-week sales tax holidays generally ran near the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, around June 1, and again toward the end of August or in September, which is busiest portion of the season.
That has now changed.
Florida budget permanently exempts disaster supplies from sales taxes
Under the new budget signed by DeSantis, there are now permanent sales tax exemptions on certain disaster supplies.
The permanent sales tax exemptions on emergency supplies replaces the shorter sales tax holidays residents have been used to.
What disaster supplies in Florida are now free of sales taxes?
Among the items now permanently exempt from sales taxes are:
Bottled water, first aid kits, and many food items purchased at the grocery store are already tax-free.
➤ Read HB7031 in its entirety
When is hurricane season?
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.
The 2025 season is expected to be above-normal. So far, there have been two named storms.
➤ NOAA hurricane center watching system near Florida. How it could impact July 4th plans
A disturbance is expected to stall over or near Florida around the Fourth of July holiday and there is a low possibility a tropical depression or tropical storm could form.
Regardless of development, a wet week and holiday weekend are forecast for the Sunshine State.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Florida sales tax holiday for disaster supplies goes away. Here’s what replaced it
Reporting by Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
