Florida Adds a Second Disaster-Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday for its Residents by Karen Lake, CPA
Posted on May 29, 2024
by
Karen Lake
To help Floridians prepare for hurricane season, the state legislature has enacted two 14-day sales-tax holidays for the purchase of a wide variety of qualifying disaster-preparedness supplies. The first holiday runs June 1 through 14. The second one, a first in the state, is set for August 24 through September 6.
During both of these two-week periods, Florida consumers and businesses can purchase the following items free of sales tax:
- Pet food priced at $10 or less
- Manual can openers; travel-size and collapsible food and water bowls and waste-disposal bags for pets costing $15 or less;
- Reusable ice and pet pads, leashes, collars and muzzles costing $20 or less;
- Cat litter priced at $25 or less
- Portable self-powered light sources and pet beds priced at $40 or less
- Portable self-powered radios, two-way radios or weather-band radios; gas or diesel fuel tanks; and batteries costing $50 or less
- Portable power banks and non-electric food-storage coolers priced at $60 or less
- Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, smoke alarms and fire extinguishers costing $70 or less
- Tarps and other flexible waterproof sheeting, ground anchor systems, portable pet kennels or carriers, over-the-counter pet medications and dry pet food weighing 50 pounds or less and priced at $100 or less
- Portable generators used to provide light or communications or to preserve food in a power outage that cost $3,000 or less
The Atlantic Hurricane season runs annually from June 1 through November 30. It is prudent for residents in Florida and other states along the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico to have appropriate disaster plans in place and take steps to secure their homes and businesses before, during and after a storm makes landfall. This includes confirming insurance coverage for their homes and the potential interruption to their businesses, knowing if they are in evacuation areas and where they would go should the government issue an evacuation order, securing important documents and ensuring they have on hand ample supplies, including non-perishable food, medications and cash.
About the Author: Karen A. Lake, CPA, is a state and local tax (SALT) specialist and a director of Tax Services with Berkowitz Pollack Brant Advisors + CPAs, where she helps individuals and businesses navigate complex federal, state and local tax laws, credits and incentives. She can be reached at the firm’s Ft. Lauderdale office at (954) 712-7000 or info@bpbcpa.com.
← Previous
