2024 Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday runs until June 14th. Certain preparedness items are sales tax-free across the state during this period. Watch the video to hear how neighbors are taking advantage of the tax break.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Hurricane season is officially here and with that comes preparation.
Cynthia Tucker, Woodville Neighbor – Not afraid, just going to be a little bit more prepared.
Im Kenya Cardonne, your Southeast Tallahassee neighborhood reporter.
The 2024 Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday is also here in Florida, helping neighbors get ready for what could be an active season.
Devin Crockett, Employee at ACE Hardware Woodville – Tallahassee has been that zone that always kinda gets missed but with this storm I think people are taking the storm season a lot more serious and theyre buying more.
ACE Hardware Woodville employee Devin Crockett tells me business is ramping up as we head into hurricane season.
Tucker – We woke up to a war zone.
Neighbors say after recent tornadoes left Tallahassee homes and hearts in destruction, theyre definitely learning from their mistakes.
Katrina Ward, Woodville Neighbor – Well I think it just makes me more aware that I need to be fully prepared because at any moment we could have bad weather.
Tucker – And now that I came down to ACE to find out that they have this tax relief on items Im definitely going to pick up some things while Im here.
June 1st marked the start of the hurricane season and the start of a 14-day Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday in Florida, where neighbors across the state can buy certain preparedness items tax-free.
List of Tax Exempt Items:
$10 or less
Wet dog or cat food if sold individually or the equivalent if sold in a box or case
$15 or less
Manual can openers
Collapsible or travel-sized food or water bowls for pets
Cat litter pans
Pet waste disposal bags
Hamster or rabbit substrate
$20 or less
Reusable ice
Leashes, collars, and muzzles for pets
Pet pads
$25 or less
Cat litter weighing 25 or fewer pounds
$40 or less
Portable self-powered light sources
Pet beds
$50 or less
Portable self-powered radios, two-way radios, or weather-band radios
Gas or diesel fuel tanks
Batteries, including rechargeable batteries, listed sizes only: AA-cell, AAA-cell, C-cell, D-cell, 6-volt, 9-volt
$60 or less
Nonelectric food storage coolers
Portable power banks
$70 or less
Smoke detectors or smoke alarms
Fire extinguishers
Carbon monoxide detectors
$100 or less
Tarpaulins or other flexible waterproof sheeting
Ground anchor systems
Portable pet kennels or pet carriers
Dry dog or cat food weighing 50 or fewer pounds
Over-the-counter pet medications
$3,000 or less
Portable generators used to provide light or communications or to preserve food in a power outage
I spoke with neighbors in Woodville who are taking advantage of the tax break.
Ward – It really saves a lot especially if you need a lot but I have done that in the past and thats why Im set now.
Tucker – I think this is just a good incentive for the government to give to people because everyone dont have the same kind of income and like I said, if youre a tax payer, I think its a thing that we should just get extra anyway.
In Southeast Tallahassee, Kenya Cardonne, ABC 27