Florida residents urged to prepare for hurricane season during tax-free holiday

ORLANDO, Fla. - Central Florida residents are encouraged to prepare now ahead of what could be a busy hurricane season.

"Getting out ahead of time, get some of these items while you do have the time to plan," said Aaron Funk, the Emergency Management Operations Chief in Seminole County. "Space it out, build up your kit, or replenish those kits that I mentioned. It’s the best way to do it."

Funk visited a local Ace Hardware store in Sanford today to urge residents to use the tax-free holiday to purchase hurricane supplies. 

"Those key items you definitely want to get before we get into the peak of hurricane season. Things like flashlights, batteries, those real essentials to make sure that if you do have an impact here in Seminole County or Central Florida, that you’re prepared."

The approved list of supplies does not limit the number of items you can buy. There is no reason to go overboard, but Funk says a good rule of thumb is to gather enough supplies to last 72 hours without power.

If you have a kit already, now is the time to replenish any perishable items. 

"Make sure you are looking through those kits. Anything that does look like it’s close to expiration: rotate that out, use it, replace it with something that you may be able to get tax-free during this couple of weeks."

Though every person's situation may be different, the common goal is being prepared for anything.

The first tax-free holiday is June 14th. However, another tax-free period will occur later in the hurricane season, from August 24th to September 6th.