HURRICANE SUPPLIES ARE TAX-FREE AUGUST 24th – SEPTEMBER 6th

Certain household items and supplies needed for evacuating with pets will be tax-free for another two weeks starting August 24th. If your business sells any of these items, you must temporarily stop collecting the state sales tax on these items from Saturday August 24th through Friday September 6th. Report these sales as exempt on your next Florida sales tax filing. For more information or to see the complete list of tax-free hurricane supplies, please visit the Florida Department of Revenue’s website at floridarevenue.com/DisasterPrep.

TOOLS ARE TAX-FREE SEPTEMBER 1st – SEPTEMBER 7th

Tools and other items used by construction businesses will be tax-free during the first week of September.

  • Work gloves selling for $25 or less
  • Duffle bags, fuel cans, hand tools, rakes, shovels, LED flashlights, protective coveralls, safety glasses, and tote bags selling for $50 or less
  • Toolboxes and hearing protection selling for $75 or less
  • Electrical voltage and testing equipment, hard hats and other head protection, shop lights, and tool belts selling for $100 or less
  • Industry code books and textbooks selling for $125 or less
  • Drain opening tools, handheld pipe cutters, plumbing inspection equipment, and power tool batteries selling for $175 or less
  • Work boots selling for $175 or less
  • Ladders selling for $250 or less
  • Power tools and toolboxes for vehicles selling for $300 or less

If your business needs to purchase any of these items, the sales tax holiday may be a good time to do so. If your business sells any of these

items, do not collect sales tax on them during the Sales Tax Holiday and report these sales as exempt on your next Florida sales tax filing. For more information, please visit the Florida Department of Revenue’s website at floridarevenue.com/tooltime.

WORK LIMITATIONS FOR TEENS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR

If your business has employees under 18, the rules on how many hours they can work change when change once school starts.

Work hours for 14 and 15-year-olds during the school year:

  • Cannot work during school hours.
  • Can work up to 15 hours per week.
  • Can work up to 3 hours a day on school days when there is school the next day.
  • Can work up to 8 hours on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and non-school days when there is no school the next day.
  • Cannot work more than 4 hours without a 30-minute break. The break can be unpaid.
  • Cannot work after 7 pm on school days when there is school the next day.  Can work until 9 pm on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and non-school days where there is no school the next day.
  • Cannot work more than 6 days in a row.

Work hours for 16 and 17-year-olds during the school year:

  • Cannot work during school hours unless they have a waiver, have graduated or have their GED, or are home schooled or virtually schooled.
  • Can work up to 8 hours a day when school is scheduled for the following day.  On Sundays and holidays, they can work more than 8 hours a day even if school is the next day.
  • Can work more than 8 hours a day if there is no school the following day. 
  • Can work up to 40 hours a week if their parents or school superintendent sign a waiver. Without a waiver, they can work up to 30 hours a week.
  • Must take a 30-minute break after 4 hours when working an 8-hour shift.
  • Cannot work before 6:30 am or after 11:00 pm when school is scheduled the following day.

All employees must be paid at least the Florida minimum wage. As of the date of this newsletter, the Florida minimum wage is $12 an hour, with a minimum cash wage for tipped employees of $8.98 per hour. Please note: the Florida minimum wage will increase by $1 on September 30, 2024.

Businesses with employees under 18 must post a Child Labor poster at their workplace and keep a copy of the employee’s driver’s license or birth certificate as proof of their age.

Certain jobs are prohibited year-round for employees under 18. Please refer to the Child Labor poster for more details.

FUBA members can email us at fuba@fuba.org to request a free child labor poster.

SOME STATE CONTRACTOR’S LICENSES MUST BE RENEWED BY SEPTEMBER 3rd

The following contractor licenses issued by the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR) expire on August 31st of every even year:

  • Certified construction contractor’s licenses
  • Certified electrical contractor’s licenses
  • Registered electrical contractor’s licenses

Because the 31st falls on a Saturday and September 2nd is a holiday, the deadline to renew these licenses has been extended to September 3rd. Licenses can be renewed at the DBPR website at myfloridalicense.com.

Certified contractors have passed a state licensing exam and can work anywhere in Florida. Registered contractors do not have to take an exam but can only work in the local area that issued their license.

This article only applies to contractor licenses that are issued by or registered with the state DBPR. Some construction work does not require a state license but does require a local license. This article does not apply to licenses issued by local building departments. If you have a license from your local building department, this article does not apply to you.  Please check with your local building department for license renewal information.