TAMPA, Fla. — Aside from the disaster preparedness and back-to-school sales tax holidays, Floridians will have another sales tax holiday they can partake in this year.
During a press conference at a Pensacola Home Depot, Governor Ron DeSantis announced 2021 Freedom Week. It will be from Thursday, July 1 through Wednesday, July 7, and will exempt qualifying admissions and items related to recreational activities from sales tax.
IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION:
Freedom Week is a bit different than Disaster Preparedness and Back-to-School. For those two, if you're buying say a backpack, that backpack must be under $60 in order to be exempt from sales tax. If it's over $60, you pay sales tax on the whole item.
However for Freedom Week, if you're buying say a kayak, you will not pay sales tax on the first $500 of that kayak. However, you will pay sales tax on the remaining portion of the kayak.
For more clarification, click here.
Here is a list of qualifying admissions, which must be scheduled to be held between July 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021:
- A live music event
- A live sporting event
- A movie shown in a movie theater
- Entry to a museum, including annual passes
- Use of or access to state parks, including annual passes
- Entry to a ballet, play, or musical theatre performance
- Season tickets to ballet, play, or musical theatre performances
- Entry to a fair, festival, or cultural event
- Use of or access to gyms and physical fitness facilities between July 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021
Here is a list of qualifying items:
- $5 or less
- Fishing Supplies: bait or fishing tackle, if sold per item
- $10 or less
- Fishing Supplies: bait or fishing tackle, if multiple items are sold together
- $15 or less
- General Outdoor Supplies: sunscreen or insect repellant
- $25 or less
- Boating and Water Activity Supplies: snorkels, goggles, and swimming masks
- $30 or less
- Camping Supplies: camping lanterns or flashlights
- Fishing Supplies: tackle boxes or bags
- General Outdoor Supplies: water bottles
- $40 or less
- Sports Equipment: any item used in individual or team sports, not including clothing or footwear
- $50 or less
- Boating and Water Activity Supplies: safety flares
- Camping Supplies: sleeping bags, portable hammocks, camping stoves, and collapsible camping chairs
- General Outdoor Supplies: hydration packs, bicycle helmets
- $75 or less
- Boating and Water Activity Supplies: life jackets, coolers, paddles, and oars
- Fishing Supplies: rods and reels, if sold individually
- $100 or less
- General Outdoor Supplies: sunglasses
- $150 or less
- Boating and Water Activity Supplies: water skis, wakeboards, kneeboards, and recreational inflatable tubes or floats capable of being towed
- Fishing Supplies: rods and reels, if sold as a set
- $200 or less
- Camping Supplies: tents
- General Outdoor Supplies: binoculars
- $250 or less
- General Outdoor Supplies: outdoor gas or charcoal grills, bicycles
- $300 or less
- Boating and Water Activity Supplies: paddleboards and surfboards
- $500 or less
- Boating and Water Activity Supplies: canoes and kayaks
Along with announcing the new tax holiday, DeSantis also renewed the sales tax holidays for Floridians to prepare for hurricane season and back-to-school.
Below is a breakdown of each of those tax holidays:
2021 Disaster Preparedness
Florida's 2021 Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday will run from Friday, May 28 through Sunday, June 6.
During the 10-day sales tax holiday period, qualifying items related to disaster preparedness are exempt from sales tax.
Here is a list of qualifying items:
- $20 or less
- Reusable ice
- $40 or less
- Portable self-powered light source
- $50 or less
- Certain portable radios
- A gas or diesel fuel tank
- Packages of certain battery types
- $60 of less
- A nonelectric food storage cooler
- Portable power banks
- $100 or less
- Tarps
- Ground anchor systems or tie-down kits
- $1,000 or less
- Portable generators for use in a power outage
2021 Back-to-School
The Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday is scheduled from Saturday, July 31 through Monday, August 9.
Here is a list of qualifying items:
- $15 or less, per item
- School supplies
- $60 or less, per item
- Clothing and shoes
- Backpacks, handbags and wallets
- Up to $1,000 per item
- Personal computers or personal computer-related accessories
