Celebrate Freedom Week in Sarasota

Plan your trip to Sarasota County around the seven-day holiday known as Freedom Week, which encourages shoppers to make purchases on qualifying outdoor and recreation items (such as kayaks, camping gear, fishing/boating activity supplies and other sports equipment. Also exempt of sales tax are live shows, entertainment and cultural events, as well as purchasing tickets for sporting events, museums, theatre and dance performances, state park admission and annual passes. This year's Freedom Week Sales Tax Holiday will take place July 1st – July 7th, 2022. Tickets, memberships and passes, purchased during the Freedom Week Sales Tax Holiday will be eligible for use from July 1, 2022 – December 31, 2022.

Freedom Week Adventure Ideas in Sarasota County

After grabbing some snorkel and swimming gear, sunglasses and sunscreen, be sure to hit at least one of the many beaches and parks of Sarasota County's 35-miles of playful coastline. Explore the bounty of area beaches with Beach Pass in the Visit Sarasota App. You can also check out beach conditions at any time before heading out to our Gulf Coast beaches with your new supplies in tow!

If the beach isn't your thing, there are plenty of other beautiful outdoor spots to get outside and unplug with a new pair of binoculars or water bottle.

Check out one of our area's pristine golf and tennis goldmines with a new set of club or rackets for a few holes/matches. 

Be a spectator of a local sports event, perhaps a Spring Training game or an international rowing regatta.

Kayak the mangrove tunnels of South Lido Key and spot wildlife from your newly-acquired water vessel as you paddle through the iconic waterscape.

Throw on your new helmet and take a bike tour of the area's picturesque neighborhoods or along the Legacy Trail, an 18.5-mile multi-use recreational rail-trail connecting Sarasota and Venice, Florida.

Grab your new hammock, sleeping bag and a new tent after finding a campsite for a night under the stars at Turtle Beach Campground, Myakka River State Park or Oscar Sherer State Park.

Get immersed in Sarasota County's arts and culture at one of the many performance venues and stages in the region—from opera and orchestra, to dance, improv comedy and theater.

Go boating to explore Sarasota Bay, or take an off-shore angling excursion into the Gulf of Mexico to test out your new tackle box and fishing rod. And don't forget those new life jackets and coolers.

What exactly is Freedom Week? 

In 2021, the Florida Legislature passed a one-week sales tax break during the summer's pandemic. In what lawmakers dubbed “Freedom Week,” Floridians and visitors alike received a week-long sales-tax break on outdoor/recreational-related purchases to help spur more activity after being limited by the coronavirus pandemic. The holiday ultimately helped to boost the outdoors economy, encourage people to get out of the house, while assiting entertainment venues and businesses that suffered during social distancing mandates. It has since created a buzz, not only state-wide but country-wide, and returned annually for avid shoppers and bargain-lovers to jump on tax-free deals. 

What items qualify as a "tax-free" break?

Boating and Water Supplies:
To the first $75 of the sales price of life jackets and coolers
To the first $50 of the sales price of safety flares
To the first $150 of the sales price of water skis, wakeboards, kneeboards and recreational inflatable water tubes or floats that can be towed
To the first $300 of the sales price of paddle boards and surfboards
To the first $500 of the sales price of canoes and kayaks
To the first $75 of the sales price of paddles and oars
To the first $25 of the sales price of snorkels, goggles and swimming masks

Camping Supplies:
To the first $200 of the sales price of tents
To the first $50 of the sales price of sleeping bags, portable hammocks, camping stoves and collapsible camping chairs
To the first $30 of the sales price of camping lanterns and flashlights

Fishing Gear:
To the first $75 of the sales price of rods and reels, if sold individually or the first $150 if sold as a set
To the first $30 of the sales price of tackle boxes or bags
To the first $5 of the sales price of bait or fishing tackle, if sold individually, or the first $10 if multiple items are sold together

General Outdoor Supplies:
To the first $15 of the sales price of sunscreen or insect repellant
To the first $100 of the sales price of sunglasses
To the first $200 of the sales price of binoculars
To the first $30 of the sales price of water bottles
To the first $50 of the sales price of hydration packs
To the first $250 of the sales price of outdoor gas or charcoal grills
To the first $50 of the sales price of bicycle helmets
To the first $250 of the sales price of bicycles

Sports Equipment:
To any item used in individual or team sports, not including clothing or footwear, selling for $40 or less

Admission Tickets:
Music events like concerts, sporting events, movies, museum visits, getting into state parks and buying fitness facilities memberships at clubs or gyms will be tax-free from July 1 – July 7, 2022.  The events with admissions purchases will include any event scheduled from July 1 to December 31, 2022, so long as the ticket is bought between July 1 – July 7.