TAMPA, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed what he called the largest tax relief plan in the Sunshine State's history on Thursday and part of that is the 2023 Florida Freedom Summer Sales Tax Holiday.
The Department of Revenue explains during the tax holiday, people can buy different things such as music events, sporting events, cultural events, state park annual passes, and fitness facilities, as well as certain boating and water activity supplies, camping supplies and much more exempt from sales tax.
The tax holiday begins on Monday, May 29, 2023, and ends on Monday, Sept. 4, 2023.
A list of items exempted from tax during the sales tax holiday includes:
Admissions
- Live music events
- Live sporting events
- Movies
- Museum entry, including annual passes
- State park entry, including annual passes
- Ballets
- Plays
- Musical theater performances
- Fairs
- Festivals
- Cultural events
- Private and membership clubs providing physical fitness facilities
Boating and Water Activity Supplies
The following items with a sales price of $500 or less:
- Canoes
- Kayaks
The following items with a sales price of $300 or less:
- Paddleboards
- Surfboards
The following items with a sales price of $150 or less:
- Water skis
- Wakeboards
- Kneeboards
- Recreational inflatable water tubes or floats capable of being towed
The following items with a sales price of $75 or less:
- Life jackets
- Coolers
- Paddles
The following items with a sales price of $50 or less:
- Safety flares
- The following items with a sales price of $35 or less:
- Recreational pool tubes
- Pool floats
- Inflatable chairs
- Pool toys
The following items with a sales price of $25 or less:
- Snorkels
- Goggles
- Swimming masks
Camping Supplies
The following items with a sales price of $200 or less:
- Tents
The following items with a sales price of $50 or less:
- Sleeping bags
- Portable hammocks
- Camping stoves
- Collapsible camping chairs
The following items with a sales price of $30 or less:
- Camping lanterns
- Flashlights
Fishing Supplies
The following items with a sales price of $150 or less:
- Rods and reels, if sold as a set
The following items with a sales price of $75 or less:
- Rods and reels, if sold individually
The following items with a sales price of $30 or less:
- Tackle boxes or bags
The following items with a sales price of $10 or less:
- Bait or fishing tackle, if multiple items are sold together
The following items with a sales price of $5 or less:
- Bait or fishing tackle, if sold individually
General Outdoor Supplies
The following items with a sales price of $500 or less:
- Bicycles
The following items with a sales price of $250 or less:
- Outdoor gas or charcoal grills
The following items with a sales price of $200 or less:
- Binoculars
The following items with a sales price of $100 or less:
- Sunglasses
The following items with a sales price of $50 or less:
- Hydration packs
- Bicycle helmets (bicycle helmets marketed for use by youth are permanently exempt)
The following items with a sales price of $30 or less:
- Water bottles
The following items with a sales price of $15 or less:
- Sunscreen
- Insect repellent
Residential Pool Supplies
The following items with a sales price of $150 or less:
- All residential pool and spa chemicals purchased by an individual
The following items with a sales price of $100 or less:
- Individual residential pool and spa replacement parts, nets, filters, lights, and covers
Children’s Athletic Equipment
- Consumer products with a sales price of $100 or less that are designed or intended by the manufacturer for a child 12 years of age or younger for use in an athletic activity
Children's Toys
- Consumer products with a sales price of $75 or less that are designed or intended by the manufacturer for a child 12 years of age or younger for use by the child when the child plays
"If you purchase an item that would otherwise qualify for the sales tax exemption, but costs more than the price limits stated above, the item is not exempt, and you must pay sales tax on the entire price of the item," leaders from the DOR explain online.
The Florida Freedom Summer Sales Tax Holiday doesn't apply to rentals of any eligible items, or to sales in a theme park, entertainment complex, public lodging establishment or airport.
To read more information about the sales tax holiday, click here.
The Florida Freedom Summer Sales Tax Holiday is part of the newly signed plan from DeSanits, providing families with $2.7 billion in tax relief during the 2023–24 fiscal year.
The package also includes:
- Two back-to-school sales tax holidays lasting 14 days each ($161 million)
- Two disaster preparedness sales tax holidays lasting 14 days each ($144 million)
- A "freedom summer" sales tax holiday on recreational items and children’s toys that will last from Memorial Day all the way until Labor Day. ($230 million)
"In Florida, we are ensuring that our state’s economic success gets passed on to the people that made it possible," DeSantis said in a previous statement. "I will continue to push smart fiscal policy that will allow Florida families to keep more of their hard-earned money in their pockets.
"Stronger families make a stronger Florida.”