Florida has been running the most generous sales tax holiday program in the country for years. Freedom Month. Back-to-School. Disaster Preparedness. Tool Time. The holidays kept coming — and retailers kept adapting.
In 2025, Florida's legislature hit the reset button. And on July 1, 2026, the results of that reset took full effect.
Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 7031E on June 29, 2026. The bill took effect July 1 — bringing $272.2 million in state and local tax cuts, restructuring Florida's holiday calendar from the ground up, and permanently ending some exemptions while creating new ones that have never existed before.
If you sell into Florida — from a storefront, a website, or an ecommerce platform — your compliance setup for 2026 looks different than it did in 2025. Here's what changed, what's new, and what's gone.
Freedom Month Is Gone — And It's Not Coming Back
This is the headline that Florida shoppers are just discovering.
Florida's Freedom Month does not return on July 1, 2026. Lawmakers reorganized many of the state's tax breaks, making some permanent and moving others to different sales tax holidays.
For several years, Florida's July sales tax holiday — Freedom Month — covered an enormous range of purchases: camping gear, museum admissions, concert tickets, gym memberships, boating and fishing supplies, and more. It grew into one of the most anticipated retail events in the state.
Then in 2025, lawmakers rewrote Florida's approach entirely. Instead of renewing Freedom Month, legislators reorganized many of its tax exemptions — making some permanent year-round, moving others into different holidays, and simply letting others expire.
For consumers, the overhaul means there is less of a need to wait for a particular week — or even a particular month — to make certain purchases. Permanent exemptions are better than temporary holidays for planning purposes. But at the same time, new rules also mean that shoppers can no longer assume a familiar tax holiday will return simply because it appeared on the calendar the prior year.
For retailers, the overhaul means the compliance landscape has fundamentally changed — and last year's setup doesn't apply in 2026.
What's New: The Hunting, Fishing, and Camping Holiday
The most significant new addition to Florida's holiday calendar is a four-month sales tax holiday specifically for outdoor recreation products.
Starting September 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026, qualifying hunting, fishing, and camping supplies are exempt from Florida sales tax.
The qualifying items cover the full range of outdoor recreation gear:
Ammunition, firearms, bows, crossbows, rods and reels, fishing tackle and lures, fishing poles, tackle boxes, coolers, ice chests, outdoor grills and cooking equipment, tents, sleeping bags and ground cloths, camping stoves and fuel, lanterns, flashlights and batteries, certain knives and multi-tools, life preservers and personal flotation devices, and waders and fishing boots.
Four months — September through December — is the longest single holiday window in Florida's history. And the categories are unusually broad. Firearms and ammunition qualifying for a sales tax exemption is notable — making Florida one of only a handful of states offering explicit tax relief on these categories, alongside Louisiana and Mississippi's existing Second Amendment holidays.
For retailers selling any of these categories, September 1 is the compliance date to prepare for. Systems need to be updated to apply the exemption to qualifying items during the holiday window — and reverted on January 1.
What Moved: Back-to-School Holiday Now Starts July 20
Florida's back-to-school sales tax holiday isn't new — but its dates have shifted significantly.
The new back-to-school sales tax holiday created last year will now begin on July 20 before school starts and run through August 20 each year.
Previously, Florida's back-to-school holiday ran in early August — a timing that felt disconnected from the actual school calendar for many Florida districts that start in late July. The shift to July 20 through August 20 better aligns the holiday with when Florida families are actually shopping for school.
The move also creates a compliance wrinkle for multi-state retailers. Florida's July 20 start now overlaps with Iowa's August 7-8 holiday, Missouri's August 7-9 holiday, Texas's August 7-9 holiday, Ohio's August 7-9 holiday, and Illinois's August 7-16 holiday — meaning retailers managing multiple state holiday calendars are handling Florida separately from the August cluster.
The qualifying categories for Florida's back-to-school holiday remain consistent with prior years: clothing, footwear, school supplies, learning aids, and personal computers and related accessories. The month-long format — 32 days — remains the longest back-to-school holiday in the country by a significant margin.
For retailers, the July 20 start means back-to-school compliance in Florida begins several weeks earlier than most other states. If your systems were configured based on the old August dates, update them now.
What's New: Home Hardening Sales Tax Refund
Florida's approach to hurricane preparedness tax relief has evolved — and the new structure is meaningfully different from the temporary exemptions that preceded it.
HB 7031E allows purchasers of home hardening products — such as impact-resistant doors, garage doors, and windows — to seek a sales tax refund for purchases between July 1, 2026, and June 30, 2029.
This is a refund program, not an exemption at point of sale. The distinction matters for retailers and consumers alike.
Under the old approach, impact-resistant doors and windows were tax-exempt during specific holiday windows — meaning no tax was collected at checkout during the holiday period. Under the new approach, the full sales tax is collected at the time of purchase. Homeowners then apply for a refund — up to $500 — after the fact.
Homeowners investing in storm-hardening upgrades have a multi-year window to claim the $500 refund, but the application must be made before September 30, 2029.
For retailers: you collect full sales tax on these items as you normally would. The refund is between the homeowner and the Florida Department of Revenue — not a point-of-sale exemption you need to apply. If customers ask, clarify that the exemption is now a post-purchase refund rather than a checkout discount.
What's New: Permanent Propane Tank Exemption
This one is straightforward and permanent.
HB 7031E creates a permanent tax exemption for propane tanks with a capacity of 20 pounds or less.
Standard 20-pound propane tanks — the kind used for backyard grills, camping stoves, and patio heaters — are now permanently exempt from Florida sales tax. There's no holiday window, no expiration date, and no application required.
For retailers selling propane tanks: update your POS system to apply the exemption to 20-pound and smaller tanks starting July 1. Larger tanks — 30-pound, 40-pound, 100-pound — are not covered by the exemption and remain taxable.
This exemption doesn't require a holiday window or system clock — it's a permanent product-level change that applies to every qualifying sale from July 1 onward.
What's New: Impact-Resistant Windows and Doors Three-Year Exemption
Separate from the home hardening refund program, HB 7031E also creates a temporary sales tax exemption on impact-resistant windows and doors.
The bill temporarily exempts impact-resistant windows and doors for three years — through June 30, 2029.
This is an at-the-register exemption — unlike the refund program for broader home hardening products. Impact-resistant windows and doors are tax-exempt at the point of sale from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029.
The distinction between the two programs — refund for some home hardening products, direct exemption for impact-resistant windows and doors — reflects the legislature's attempt to balance consumer benefit with administrative simplicity. Windows and doors are clearly defined categories. The refund program covers a broader but harder-to-define range of home hardening products.
For retailers selling impact-resistant windows and doors: apply the exemption at the register from July 1. No customer paperwork required. For retailers selling other home hardening products: collect normal sales tax and direct customers to the Department of Revenue's refund application process.
What Changed: Gambling and Alcohol Tax Rates
HB 7031E includes two tax rate changes that affect specific industries.
The tax on slot machine revenues drops from 35% to 34% — a 1 percentage point reduction for Florida's pari-mutuel facilities and tribal gaming operations that offer slot machines.
The gross receipts tax on cardroom revenues drops from 8% to 5% — a 3 percentage point reduction for facilities offering poker and other card games.
These aren't sales tax changes — they're excise and gross receipts tax changes. But they affect the overall tax burden for gambling industry participants in Florida and reduce the effective cost of operating these facilities in the state.
For alcohol, HB 7031E also makes adjustments to tax rates on alcoholic beverages. Retailers and distributors should verify updated rate schedules through the Florida Department of Revenue to confirm their specific product categories.
The Big Picture: What Florida's Restructuring Means for Retailers
Florida's 2026 tax overhaul is the most significant restructuring of the state's sales tax holiday system since the holidays began. The shift from Freedom Month and temporary annual holidays toward a mix of permanent exemptions and restructured holiday windows reflects a deliberate policy decision — predictability and permanence over novelty and frequency.
For retailers, the practical implications are significant:
The back-to-school holiday now starts July 20 — earlier than most retailers' systems were configured for. Update now, not when the holiday arrives.
The hunting, fishing, and camping holiday starts September 1 — a completely new four-month window covering categories that have never had a Florida holiday before. Firearms, ammunition, camping gear, fishing tackle — all qualifying for the first time. Systems need to be updated before September 1.
The propane tank exemption is permanent — it's a product-level change, not a holiday window. Configure it as a permanent exemption in your tax software, not a time-limited holiday rule.
Impact-resistant windows and doors are exempt at the register through June 2029 — a three-year at-the-register exemption that requires a product-level configuration update, not a date-based holiday rule.
The home hardening refund program requires no change to your point-of-sale system — but you should be prepared to explain to customers that the refund application happens directly with the Department of Revenue, not at your register.
Freedom Month exemptions that are now permanent year-round don't require holiday window management — but verify which specific items moved to permanent status versus which moved to other holidays, to avoid misclassifying taxable items as exempt outside their valid windows.
We expect the Florida Department of Revenue will issue additional guidance related to these new exemptions. Monitor the Department's website for further updates before the September 1 hunting, fishing, and camping holiday begins.
For a complete overview of every 2026 state sales tax holiday — including Florida's updated schedule alongside Ohio, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Texas, and more — visit our complete 2026 sales tax holiday guide.
Selling into Florida and want to make sure your systems are configured correctly for the restructured back-to-school holiday, the new September hunting and camping holiday, and the new permanent exemptions that took effect July 1? Book a free consultation with our team at sales.tax. We'll audit your Florida compliance setup and make sure every change is applied correctly before the next holiday window opens.