Disaster preparedness sales tax holiday starts Saturday

A sales tax holiday for disaster preparedness items, such as generators, batteries and tarps, starts on Saturday and runs for two weeks.

Officials with the Florida Retail Federation (FRF) and local Tallahassee politicians — Sen. Corey Simon, a Republican, and Rep. Allison Tant, a Democrat — held a press conference to raise awareness.

“We know it’s critical to get our supplies ready, to get our plan ready before the storm,” Tant said.

The start of the sales tax holiday coincides with the start of hurricane season, which lasts until Nov. 30. But the Apalachee Ridge Estates neighborhood, where the event was held, knows all too well the need to be prepared for dangerous storms.

The area was hit hard by the tornadoes and thunderstorms that wrought havoc in Tallahassee on May 10. Simon said 200 to 300 homes are still without power because they aren’t capable of receiving electricity safely, displacing some residents for weeks or perhaps months to come.

“There are families out there that are going to need food, they’re going to need shelter,” Simon said during the Wednesday press conference. “There’s still going to be a chronic homeless issue with some of these families that are displaced.”

He added that a designation by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to determine the extent of federal support for relief efforts is pending.

Simon and Tant, in conjunction with FRF and a local Home Depot store, helped pass out hurricane kits to 30 families in the neighborhood. The kits consist of a flashlight, fire extinguisher, water, box cutter and cleaning supplies.

As they spoke, debris removal crews scoured the neighborhood, which still has downed trees stringing the roads.

The sales tax holiday ends June 14. Eligible items exempt from tax include flashlights, batteries, portable radios, pet food and supplies, carbon monoxide detectors and generators valued at $3,000 or less. For a complete list of exempt items, visit the Department of Revenue’s website here.

Another two-week sales tax holiday on disaster preparedness items will run Aug. 24-Sept. 6.

The holiday is one of four sales tax holidays that were included in HB 7073, the tax cut package signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on May 7. The others include back-to-school items, tools and sports and cultural event tickets and outdoor goods.