ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida’s back-to-school sales tax holiday ends Sunday, Aug. 31, and many shoppers are taking advantage of the tax break for qualifying purchases.
According to an August survey from the National Retail Federation, 37% of people who still had half of their shopping to do were waiting to find the best deals.
News 6 went to Academy Sports where not only are qualified purchases tax free, the company is also offering other savings.
Sunil Keshwah, visiting from Georgia, said his family didn’t know about Florida’s month-long sales tax holiday and that they would benefit.
“We’re really excited,” Keshwah said. “Definitely have some stuff on our list that we can make use of getting them while we’re here.”
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News 6 visited an Academy Sports store where managers said several items fall under the tax-free holiday, including footwear, lunchboxes, backpacks and clothing.
The company is also holding last year’s pricing on kids’ clothes and shoes and is offering a 10% discount to teachers and school staff for the month of August.
Even though they don’t live in Florida, Keshwah said promotions like this help with budgeting.
“We have to start planning a lot more, just basic groceries, like what we’re going to buy, when we’re going to buy, shopping around more, using coupons, fliers, sales ads a lot more,” Keshwah said.
Anthony Morrison, store director at Academy Sports, said the retailer aims to ease the stress of back-to-school shopping.
“We understand that convenience is key and so is price,” Morrison said. “So, if we can make a one-stop shop for everybody to come in here, it be affordable, friendly. That’s our main priority as a company right now.”
The National Retail Federation estimated total back-to-school shopping for K-12 at $39.4 billion in 2025, up slightly from $38.8 billion in 2024.