Home Care In Holiday, FL

Floridians who have enjoyed the state’s traditional summer sales tax holiday can look forward to a post-Christmas present next week: A second tax holiday, timed to students’ return from winter break.

That means a two-week, sales-tax-free shopping period for clothes, personal computers and other school supplies. But Florida Retail Federation President and CEO Scott Shalley acknowledges being apprehensive that shoppers might overlook the event amid the crowd of other holiday activities as the calendar turns to 2024.

“It’s certainly a fair concern,” Shalley replied to a question from The News Service of Florida. “It is right on the heels of the holidays, but we hope folks will be out trying to take advantage of sales in other areas. This will just be an added opportunity.”

The tax holiday will start Monday and continue through Jan. 14. It is similar to the back-to-school holidays that Florida has long offered during the summer, including this year.

“This being new, we are hoping that people will get out and take advantage of the savings opportunities in the start of the new year,” Shalley said. “We are going to see many retailers have sales of their own to piggyback.”

State economists have projected that the two back-to-school holidays this fiscal year will cut state revenue by $126.8 million and local-government revenue by $33.8 million.

While the results won’t be determined for a couple of months, as receipts are finalized, Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed again holding two back-to-school holidays during the 2024-2025 fiscal year. That proposal is tied to his $114.4 billion budget recommendation, which lawmakers will consider during the session that starts Jan. 9.

Included in the tax holiday that starts Monday:

— Shoppers won’t have to pay sales taxes on clothes, wallets, bags, backpacks, fanny packs, shoes and diaper bags that cost $100 or less.

— Shoppers won’t have to pay sales taxes on pens, pencils, erasers, crayons, notebooks, notebook filler paper, legal pads, binders, lunch boxes, construction paper, markers, folders, poster board, composition books, poster paper, scissors, cellophane tape, glue, paste, rulers, computer disks, staplers, staples, protractors, compasses and calculators that cost $50 or less.

— Shoppers won’t have to pay sales taxes on learning aids and puzzles, such as flashcards, memory games and toys intended to teach reading or math skills, that cost $30 or less.

— Shoppers won’t have to pay sales taxes on personal computers and related accessories — such as keyboards and monitors — that cost $1,500 or less. Not included are such things as cell phones and video game consoles.

If you're in Florida and missed out on buying some things you wanted during the holidays, here's some good news. A bonus New Year Florida sales tax holiday started Jan. 1 and continued until mid-January. This tax-free period is similar to the back-to-school tax-exempt shopping offered by Florida and other states, usually in the summer.

It's worth noting that offering a second tax-free holiday for back-to-school shopping is a first for the Sunshine State. And since the tax-free weeks coincide with the start of the New Year, many people might overlook it. So, here are a few things to know before you shop.

Florida tax-free holiday began New Year’s Day

The first thing to know is that the new Florida sales tax holiday began on New Year’s Day, Monday, Jan. 1, and ran through Sunday, Jan. 14.

Previously, Florida had only one sales tax holiday for back-to-school shopping. However, the state introduced the additional back-to-school tax holiday after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a massive $1.3 billion tax relief bill. As reported by Kiplinger, Florida also had two sales tax holidays for disaster preparedness in May and August of last year, due to the new legislation.

It’s unclear whether Gov. DeSantis will approve two back-to-school Florida sales tax holidays for next year, i.e., (the 2024-25 fiscal year).

What’s included in Florida's sales tax holiday?

Items like cell phones and video game consoles are not eligible for the tax-exemption.

For more information on what kinds of items are and aren’t eligible for the Florida sales tax holiday, see the Florida Department of Revenue Tip Sheet.

Is Florida sales tax 7%?

Florida’s state sales tax rate is 6%, but a maximum of 2% can be added for local tax. So, total sales tax can be as high as 8% in some places in the state.

According to the Tax Foundation, Florida has an average combined state and local tax rate of 7.02%. See Kiplinger’s tax guide for more information about other taxes in Florida.

States with no income tax

Florida’s New Year sales tax holiday is an opportunity to save on many items. But it’s worth noting that due to the new state tax law, several children’s products are permanently tax-exempt in the state. For example, the following items are tax-free in Florida.

When the permanent sales tax cuts were proposed, DeSantis told reporters, "It's hard enough raising kids as it is. Now, you get baby food, diapers, wipes, baby clothes, the whole shebang, including things like cribs and strollers, which are very, very expensive. So that is going to be permanently tax-free in the state of Florida.”

The new law also exempts other items from sales tax, including over-the-counter pet medications. Although, while many states still tax groceries, most groceries and prescription medications were already exempt from sales tax in Florida.

And, of course, Florida is a state with no income tax. So, Floridians don’t pay state income tax on various forms of income, including 401(k) distributions, investment income, wages, lottery winnings, etc.

Are you traveling for Christmas this year? You'll be in good company. And by good, we mean a lot.

Auto Club AAA is predicting that Floridians will break their own record from 2022 with an estimated 6.6 million of us traveling 50 miles or more during the year-end holiday period from Dec. 23 to Jan. 1. That's nearly 218,000 more Florida travelers packing the roads and airport terminals than last year (a 3.4% increase), not including visitors from out of state.

“AAA has seen steady year-over-year growth in travel demand, culminating with what is expected to be the busiest year-end holiday travel season on record in Florida, and the second-busiest nationwide,” said Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA. “Despite various inflationary pressures, Americans are still willing to budget for travel. With a record number of travelers, the roads, airports and cruise lines will be more crowded than normal. So finalize your travel plans now, anticipate longer lines, and give yourself extra time to get to your destination.”

Gas prices are helping. "As 2023 comes to a close, drivers can expect to pay about the same or less for a gallon of gas than they did last holiday season," said AAA spokesman David Jenkins. "when the Florida average on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day was $2.99 and $3.24, respectively."

And people are traveling everywhere. AAA projects that nationally 115.2 million people will be traveling out there with you, the second-highest on record since the organization began tracking holiday travel in 2000. That's 2.5 million more than last year, AAA said. The record was set in 2019.

Will it be cold on Christmas?Will it rain in Florida on Christmas day? NWS, almanac forecasts

How many people will be driving for Christmas and New Year's?

According to AAA, of the 6.6 million they project to be heading for parts unknown, 6 million of them will be behind the wheel, up from 5.8 million last year.

Will the airports be busy for Christmas and New Year's?

Yep. If you haven't yet. you might want to get your tickets now.

"Airports are expected to be the busiest they’ve ever been throughout the Christmas and New Year’s travel period." Jenkins said. "Nationally, AAA projects 7.5 million air travelers. That’s 200,000 more than the previous record set in 2019." It's also a little daunting when you remember the major meltdowns the airlines had last year, although Southwest Airlines has said the company is ready this time for another customer and weather onslaught.

In Florida, nearly 357,000 Floridians are forecast to take a commercial flight. That's higher than last year, 15,000 more people, but just the second-highest air travel volume on record, behind 2003's total of 399,000.

Average ticket prices are slightly lower than last year, Jenkins said. According to AAA booking data, the average price for a roundtrip ticket to Orlando — the most popular domestic destination this holiday season — is $613, down from $735 last year. (Although if you're planning a Disney trip, you might want to consider shooting for January.)

Holiday travel hack:How to avoid lines, high ticket prices

Will trains, buses and cruises be busy for Christmas and New Year's?

Here we should see another record year, so get your tickets now. AAA projects that more than 4 million Americans will be traveling by other methods such as buses, trains, and cruises over the holidays, compared to 3.66 million in 2022 and 3.89 million in 2019.

In Florida, 266,303 people are expected to take these alternate forms of travel, up from 244,753 in 2022 and 230,547 in 2019.

What will the weather be like for Christmas 2023?

It's too early for specifics, but the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center's week 3-4 outlook suggests warmer-than-normal temperatures along the northwestern coast of the U.S. into the north-central areas, normal temps from north-central to the East Coast, and cooler weather for the southeast, with an up to 70% chance of above-normal precipitation for Florida between Dec. 16 to Dec. 29.

What are the best times to drive during the holidays? What are the worst?

According to transportation data site INRIX, there are definitely going to be some days to stay off the road if you can. Saturday, Dec. 23, Thursday, Dec. 28, and Saturday, Dec. 30 will be the most congested days on the road, INRIX said.

“Nationwide, drivers could see travel times up to 20% longer this holiday season," said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX, with double the typical delays possible in major metro areas.

What are the top holiday travel destinations in 2023?

Orlando topped the list for domestic travel this year, with London, England the top international destination.

According to AAA, the top domestic destinations are:

The top international destinations are:

FORT LAUDERDALE -- For travelers hitting the road for the holidays, they will find plenty of company on the highway and area roads with over six million Floridians set to get behind the wheel, according to AAA.

"We're just heading to Orlando to have some fun together," said Sam Motta, whose family just flew in from Brazil, and they are hoping to get on the Florida Turnpike sooner, rather than later. "Haven't spent the holidays with family in three years now."

The crew had planned an early departure.

"We planned on leaving a lot earlier than we did so we could avoid traffic," Motta said. "We were going to leave at 8 or 9 but things happened and it took longer than we expected."

>>>>>According to the American Automobile Association:

Taking to the skies

At South Florida airports, the travel rush is on with lots of passengers moving through Miami International Airport.

There were long tines at security.

"A lot of people, a lot of moving around, a lot of luggage. It looks very busy compared to normal but not too bad," said Vanessa Lebron, who was traveling to the Dominican Republic with her family.

They were part of the record setting 2.8 million passengers flying in and out of the Miami airport, about 162,000 passengers a day.

Her advice to others: "Definitely to get here early. Don't rush get here early, take your time," she said.

At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, some delays were reported Friday as lots of passengers moved through. They're expecting two million travelers this holiday period with about 118,000 a day.

"So far so good," said Kendra Dass. She and her family are heading to Chicago. They planned for crowds.

"We actually thought it would be a little more crowded, so we arrived pretty early. But it's been pretty good," Beheen Dass said.

FLL is alerting drivers, saying airport roadways are expected to be crowded during peak times. They also say garages could fill up by Saturday.

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TALLAHASSEE -- A top retail-industry official is optimistic businesses will get a boost when Florida for the first time offers a back-to-school tax "holiday" as students return from the winter break.

At the same time, Florida Retail Federation President and CEO Scott Shalley acknowledges being somewhat apprehensive that the tax-free shopping period on clothes, school supplies and personal computers could get lost in the crowd of holidays as the calendar turns to 2024.

"It's certainly a fair concern," Shalley replied to a question from The News Service of Florida. "It is right on the heels of the holidays, but we hope folks will be out trying to take advantage of sales in other areas. This will just be an added opportunity."

The tax holiday will start Monday and continue through Jan. 14. It is similar to the back-to-school holidays that Florida has long offered during the summer, including this year.

"This being new, we are hoping that people will get out and take advantage of the savings opportunities in the start of the new year," Shalley said. "We are going to see many retailers have sales of their own to piggyback."

State economists have projected that the two back-to-school holidays this fiscal year will cut state revenue by $126.8 million and local-government revenue by $33.8 million.

While the results won't be determined for a couple of months, as receipts are finalized, Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed again holding two back-to-school holidays during the 2024-2025 fiscal year. That proposal is tied to his $114.4 billion budget recommendation, which lawmakers will consider during the session that starts Jan. 9.

Included in the tax holiday that starts Monday:

Fore more information: Florida Department of Revenue