WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — We’re in the height of hurricane season and WPTV wants to make sure you're storm ready.
WATCH BELOW: 'We lose power in basic thunderstorms,' Matt Liskay, who is shocked that flashlights are not on the list, tells WPTV
Starting Friday Aug. 1, many supplies you need to be prepared will be tax-free permanently.
It’s a big relief for many of you on a budget to purchase what can be an expensive supply cost but there are some changes to which items are tax free.
WPTV's Joel Lopez is breaking down list from the Florida Department of Revenue on what you can and can't buy tax free.
The biggest change is that the disaster supply tax free holiday is going from being twice a year to having the items on the list be tax free all year long.
But the extension comes with a condensed list on which items are eligible.
In Lantana Mary Lindsay was buying supplies at the Ace Hardware.
“It’s the place I always come to, the guys in there are just so helpful and so nice, and I'm a fairly handy woman but I need their advice," said Lindsay.
She's the founder of the Lake Worth Little Free Libraries program, a volunteer project that she's invested her own money into.
Lindsay learned through WPTV about the new list of permanent supplies that will be tax exempt for good.
“I definitely will be buying a fire extinguisher, because I need one at home, I don't have one, it's crazy," said Lindsay. "That’ll be a great big help, because it means you can spread your purchases out over a few months."
Lindsay is on a fixed income and plans to benefit from the tax savings.
"It will certainly, I hope, encourage more people to prepare for hurricanes so many new people move down here," said Lindsay.
Below is a list of tax free items:
WPTV went inside ACE Hardware to search for items on the tax free list, which includes smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, certain gas cans, life jackets and certain batteries, which store manager Manny Canete said are his biggest sellers.
“I think any relief is good, I think that the powers that be are trying to help people," said Canete.
He said staff is going through their system to make sure everything is up to date, and that the tax exempt items don't get charged on Friday.
That also includes items like sunscreen and bug repellent that are also tax free.
However, some notable items are longer on the list like flashlights, portable radios, coolers, and pet supplies like dog leashes, and kennels.
Canete feels the Florida Department of Revenue kept the essentials on the list, but some shoppers were surprised to see the items left out.
"Radios big time, cause you're going to lose internet and everything is on streaming now, so you won't have anything else," said shopper Matt Liskay.
His main concern is that modern devices don’t run on disposable batteries.
"A lot of these new little flashlights already have batteries in them and once they die, they die and you have to replace the whole thing," said Liskay. "We lose power in basic thunderstorms."
He hopes law makers can expand the items that are on the permanent tax-free list.
