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LIST: Everything you need to know about Florida's 2021 sales tax holidays

Gov. DeSantis announces new tax holiday: Freedom Week
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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