"Legislature includes ‘Home Hardening’ initiative in tax package, priority of Jimmy Patronis"
Florida Politics
Kelly Hayes
Saturday, March 12, 2022
Read the full story here.
 
The provision provides tax relief to homeowners to “harden” their homes from storms by installing impact-resistant items.
 
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis is commending the Legislature for including the ‘House Hardening’ initiative in its tax package, a priority announced by Patronis prior to the start of this year’s Session.
 
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The provision specifically creates a two-year sales tax exemption on the retail sales of items like impact-resistant windows, doors and garage doors.
 
“A huge thank you to Chair (Bobby) Payne, Representative DiCeglie and the Florida House for including the Home Hardening initiative in their tax package,” Patronis said in a statement. “In Florida, it’s not if, but when a storm will strike and I am committed to helping Florida families harden their homes against storms while lowering their insurance premiums. There is no doubt that this is a practical way of saving folks money while incentivizing homeowners to better protect their homes from hurricanes.”
 
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“Florida cannot independently fix or outrun all of the problems leading to the cost increases that are wreaking havoc on families, especially our most vulnerable. However, we are working to ease the pain with broad-based sales tax relief and a month-long gas tax holiday,” Simpson said in a statement. “This bill supports growing families, Floridians looking to prepare their homes for severe weather, and the blue collar working men and women of our state who are trying their best to get by amid record-high gas prices and inflation that many of us have not seen in our lifetime.”
 
Patronis announced the “Home Hardening” proposal last October at a meeting of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, proposing it as an effort to fight insurance premium hikes.