When is Florida's tax-free holiday for hurricane supplies? Will legislators ever agree?
The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season has officially begun.
Meteorologists with NOAA, AccuWeather and Colorado State University all agree: the 2025 hurricane is predicted to be above average.
That's not a good sign when, based on a 30-year period from 1991 to 2020, an average Atlantic hurricane season has 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes.
➤ Weather alerts via text: Sign up to get updates about current storms and weather events by location
Every emergency official also agrees now is the time to prepare; now being before a storm is approaching Florida.
But Florida residents often use the state's disaster preparedness tax holiday to help with costs when it comes to building that important disaster supply kit.
So far, that tax-free holiday has not been approved by the Florida Legislature. Legislators planned to return to Tallahassee the week of June 2 to work out the details of the state's 2025-2026 budget.
A budget stalemate in Tallahassee resulted in a tax-free holiday for disaster supplies not happening before the start of the Atlantic hurricane season on June 1. Hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30, with the busiest time of the season running from mid-August through mid-October.
In 2024, two two-week periods were held to save residents money when purchasing emergency supplies. The first was June 1 through June 14, during the first two weeks of hurricane season.
The second was Aug. 24 through Sept. 6, which occurs during the busiest portion of hurricane season.
In past years, residents were able to purchase such supplies as batteries, tarps, portable generators, reusable ice, coolers, and gas tanks without the added burden of paying sales tax.
Even pet food and supplies were included in the tax-free holiday.
A few other states have tax-free holidays to help residents prepare for disasters. Some call it severe weather preparedness, while others focus on hurricane preparation:
Alabama: Feb. 21-23
Texas: April 26-28
Virginia: Aug. 1-3
A dispute between GOP state House and Senate leaders hijacked the disaster supplies sales tax holiday Florida residents have been used to.
Just two days before the June 1 start of hurricane season, legislative leaders announced a preliminary spending deal had been struck. Lawmakers are scheduled to return to Tallahassee the week of June 2 and to work out the details of the state's 2025-26 budget.
What that will mean for Florida residents remains to be seen.
Memos released to news media mentioned plans for "permanent sales tax exemptions targeted toward Florida families" but didn't mention specific tax holidays.
DeSantis, who included the hurricane sales tax holiday in his budget recommendations, said he wants lawmakers to include it in any final budget.
House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, has pushed for an overall reduction in the state's sales tax for all items, moving it from 6% to 5.25%, instead of having specific sales tax holidays. The Senate included a sales tax holiday that would have run May 15-31 in its tax package.
In his budget, DeSantis proposed several sales tax holidays, including two 14-day periods for disaster preparedness. He projected the savings would equal $72 million on hurricane supplies.
The 2025 sales tax holidays proposed by DeSantis must be approved by the Florida Legislature, but House and Senate leaders have deadlocked over the budget this year.
➤ New to hurricanes? Everything to know about NOAA tips from Hurricane Preparedness Week
Prepare now, before a hurricane is coming. Break it down into steps:
Assemble a disaster supplies kit
Check your home. Look at roof, shutters, garage door, trees, loose items, etc.
Determine your evacuation zone and whether you live in a flood-prone area
Look over your insurance coverage
Go to FEMA's Flood Risk website, floodsmart.gov/flood-risk and enter your ZIP code.
➤ Know your risks from wind and water
Go to the Florida Department of Emergency Management's Know Your Zone website and enter your address.
➤ Know your risks from wind and water
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.
Ninety-seven percent of tropical cyclone activity occurs during this time period, NOAA said.
➤ National Hurricane Center tracking new tropical wave. Wet week ahead for Florida
We will provide tropical weather coverage daily until Nov. 30 to keep you informed and prepared. Download your local site's app to ensure you're always connected to the news. And look for our special subscription offers here.
Contributor: Gray Rohrer, USA Today Network-Florida
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida hurricane supply kit: When is tax-free holiday?
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
39 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Top DeSantis aide named next Florida education commissioner
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Board of Education has tapped a top aide of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to be the state's next education commissioner, a choice meant to influence K-12 and higher education policy in the state while bolstering a conservative legacy that could long outlast the governor's time in office. The board voted unanimously Wednesday to appoint Anastasios Kamoutsas, a deputy chief of staff to the governor. The job opened up after Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, a former Republican state lawmaker, was named interim president of the University of West Florida. Kamoutsas' appointment is contingent on Diaz being named the permanent president of UWF. 'Student safety and achievement will be my top priorities,' Kamoutsas said. 'Parents will continue to be empowered. And teachers, you have my word that I stand in support of you.' Kamoutsas previously served as general counsel and chief staff at the state's Education Department, before moving to the governor's office. 'Stasi Kamoutsas has delivered on important issues like parental rights, school choice, and fighting back against radical ideologies in education,' DeSantis said in a statement. 'I am confident that he will continue to serve our state well as the next Commissioner of Education.' Kamoutsas is expected to help carry out DeSantis' conservative education agenda, from banning public funds for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, to restricting how schools teach about race and history, and dramatically expanding the state's school voucher system, which provides billions in public funds for scholarships to private and religious schools. Among those who lauded Kamoutsas at Wednesday's meeting was former Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran, who has overseen what critics describe as the 'hostile takeover' of New College of Florida. He's among the slate of Republican former state lawmakers who are now helming state colleges and universities. 'Every single major decision, I don't care if it was elimination of DEI, critical race theory, opening schools, demasking students, changing higher education, Stasi has been in that room, every single time,' Corcoran said. 'And not just as a participant. He's been in the room as a leader.' ___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
CNBC
an hour ago
- CNBC
Trump's tax bill would add $2.4 trillion to the debt, says Congress' budget watchdog
President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" would add $2.4 trillion to the national debt over the next decade, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated Wednesday. The bill passed by House Republicans last month would decrease federal revenues by $3.7 trillion and lower spending by $1.3 trillion, according to the CBO's latest analysis. The budget package is expected to be tweaked further in the Senate, where it already faces headwinds from deficit hawks who have criticized the bill over concerns that it would lead to exploding deficits. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said earlier Wednesday on CNBC's "Squawk Box" that he would not vote for the bill as it stands, calling it "grotesque" and "immoral." Republican senators also face new outside pressure from Elon Musk, the former head of Trump's government-slashing DOGE initiative, who slammed the bill as a "disgusting abomination." Some GOP lawmakers, including Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. Thomas Massie, both of Kentucky, have already sided with Musk. Johnson, who has repeatedly called for the United States to return to pre-pandemic levels of spending, has backed splitting the bill into two separate parts. But that proposal has been rejected by Trump, who is urging the GOP to pass his agenda in "one big, beautiful bill" without Democratic help using the reconciliation process. Meanwhile, Trump allies have repeatedly railed against CBO estimates, seeking to undercut the agency's credibility. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the CBO "has been historically wrong." Senators are facing a time crunch, as Trump has indicated that he wants the package on his desk by July 4.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
McMahon spars with Democrats over request to cut Education Department funding
Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Wednesday defended to House members the Trump administration's request to cut 15 percent from her department's budget. McMahon at times had contentious moments with members as she emphasized the request for a $12 billion cut as President Trump wants her to carry out the federal agency's 'final mission.' 'Madam Secretary, the legacy you will be leaving is that 'I shut down the Department of Education.' How we educate our children determines not just their future, but our own. But I think it's a sad legacy you will leave,' said Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) At the beginning of the hearing, McMahon said her three priorities for the department are school choice, literacy rates and returning education to the states. 'The fiscal year '26 budget will take a significant step toward that goal. We seek to shrink federal bureaucracy, save taxpayer money and empower states who best know their local needs to manage education in this country,' McMahon said. In his budget request, the president is looking to cut most education areas including preschool grants and the Office of Civil Rights. The only area the Trump administration looked to increase funding was for charter schools, by $60 million. The proposed cuts led to multiple discussions between the secretary and Democrats. 'I'm asking you, do you realize that to send authority back to the states, to eliminate your oversight, to eliminate your accountability, to eliminate your determination as to resources going to schools that are teaching public schools that are teaching underserved communities, this will result in the very reason that we had to get the involvement of our government in this, and that's a yes or no,' said Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) 'It isn't a yes or no, but I will not respond to any questions based on the theory that this administration doesn't care anything about the law and operates outside it,' McMahon responded. 'From the president of the United States conducting himself in a corrupt manner to his family enriching him and himself corruptly … I'm telling you, the Department of Education is one of the most important departments in this country and you should feel shameful [to] be engaged with an administration that doesn't give a damn,' Watson Coleman retorted. McMahon pushed back on statements that she is trying to get rid of the 8 to 10 percent of federal funding that goes to states, emphasizing she is looking to move the programs to other departments. Trump has previously floated, for example, moving student loans to the Department of Treasury and programs for students with disabilities to the Department of Health and Human Services. 'You don't want to come up with the 8 percent to help our kids succeed, to help their mental health, to help kids with disabilities,' said Dean. 'I've already said Title I funding, IDEA funding is still going to come out' through other departments, McMahon responded. Republicans largely praised McMahon for the work she has done so far to slash the Department of Education, an agency the party has tried to get rid of since its creation. But the end of the department is not possible without an act of Congress, a high bar the Trump administration is unlikely to clear. 'Secretary McMahon has wasted no time implementing President Trump's bold agenda to restore education to the states, and I want to commend her for efforts on hitting the ground running,' said Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), chair of the House Appropriation Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. 'Students need reading, writing, math, critical thinking for everyday activities to succeed in their jobs and to make life's big decisions,' he added. 'Federal funding has let things like social justice advocacy, divisive issues' overtake a 'focus on teaching students' core subjects. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
