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Tampa Bay lawmakers worry about ‘devastating' effects tariffs would have on families, small businesses

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A series of new tariffs go into effect Wednesday, including a 25 percent tax on foreign-made cars and auto parts. At Rubber City Tire & Auto Repair in St. Petersburg, CEO Cesar Grajales said the new tariffs will impact his prices, as the tires and parts they use to repair your car will be more expensive. 'Everything is going to go up. All the parts are going to go up- wheels, everything. There's a lot of stuff we get imported that we have no choice on,' said Grajales. Grajales said imported goods are typically cheaper. However, with tariffs, he expects more people to turn to American-made products after seeing firsthand the last time tariffs were implemented. DOGE checks? Elon Musk claims 'progress' has been made, but says it isn't his decision 'All the imported tires went up dramatically and it caused a big increase of sales of American-made tires, which we would much rather sell anyway,' said Grajales. President Donald Trump said he plans to impose broad tariffs this week on countries whose trade policies he believes have been unfair to the U.S. 'They ripped us off like no country has ever been ripped off in history,' said Trump. An 'administrative error' sent a Maryland man to an El Salvador prison, ICE says When asked who would absorb the higher costs, Grajales and other business owners pointed to consumers. 'Obviously, the consumer. We're going to pay for it up front, but we're going to be forced to raise our prices,' said Grajales. Congresswoman Kathy Castor worries tariffs will be devastating for Tampa Bay families and small businesses. 'Gasoline, construction supplies, fruits, and vegetables, all of those things now are going to be hit with higher costs, and all of that is going to be passed on to the hard-working people in our community. And it comes to a rotten time,' said Castor. 'A lot of experts say that this is going to throw the country into a recession, and we can just cannot afford that.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.