{"id":111217,"date":"2018-05-30T13:26:54","date_gmt":"2018-05-30T13:26:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ewmrealestate.com\/blog\/?p=111217"},"modified":"2019-04-19T17:38:40","modified_gmt":"2019-04-19T17:38:40","slug":"hurricane-season-tax-free-holiday-kick-off-friday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ewmrealestate.com\/blog\/hurricane-season-tax-free-holiday-kick-off-friday\/","title":{"rendered":"Hurricane season and a tax-free holiday kick off Friday"},"content":{"rendered":"

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. \u2013 May 29, 2018 \u2013 Those with still-fresh memories of Hurricane Irma will want to take advantage of the upcoming sales tax “holiday.”<\/p>\n

And it’s three days longer this year, from June 1-7.<\/p>\n

Retailers will be able to sell items without charging state or local taxes, which should drop prices considerably for items people need for the six-month hurricane season, which starts Friday.<\/p>\n

For example, a $15 package of batteries won’t carry the usual 90 cents to $1.05 in sales taxes. A $750 generator, which would usually run more than $800 after taxes, will still be $750.<\/p>\n

One reason for the longer tax holiday is the weather. Florida had hurricane hits from Hurricane Hermine in 2016 and Irma in 2017, after more than a decade without any direct hits.<\/p>\n

“Now, after being hit by Irma and everything that happened last year, people are well aware of what they need and what they didn’t have last year,” said James Miller of the Florida Retail Federation. “They’re going to load up this year. We expect it to be very fruitful for retailers, and consumers are going to be able to save a lot of money on their end, as well.”<\/p>\n

The sales tax holiday hits the state pretty hard, with an estimated $4.6 million drop in revenue. Local governments lose about $1.2 million. However, having residents prepared with supplies \u2013 water, food, ice, generators and gasoline \u2013 takes a burden off state and local governments, who would otherwise need to provide for those residents in the aftermath of a storm.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a forecast for a slightly above-average hurricane season: Ten to 16 named storms, five to nine of them at hurricane status. 2017 saw 17 named storms. Ten became hurricanes, and six reached major storm status.<\/p>\n

Mark Wool, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Tallahassee office, said the pre-season outlook should remind people to do storm planning.<\/p>\n

“You want to be self-sufficient for up to 72 hours. You want to have non-perishable food items, batteries, battery-operated flashlights and radios. You want to make sure you’ve got a first-aid kit (and) enough prescription medications to get through the event,” Wool said. “Some of the most likely outcomes in these things, especially around here, is a power outage that can last a substantial amount of time.”<\/p>\n

Items Floridians can buy next week without paying sales taxes include:<\/p>\n