News

Stay informed with the latest legal insights and updates from WHWW. Our News and Articles section is your resource for timely information on legal developments, case studies, and thought leadership.

Another Reduction in Sales Tax for Commercial Tenants

NEW LAWS IN EFFECT JANUARY 1, 2020

On January 1, 2020, the Florida sales tax rate on commercial leases will be reduced yet again, for the third time in the last three years.  The rate will be reduced from 5.7% to 5.5% for payments received for occupancies on or after January 1, 2020.

The tax rate in effect at the time the tenant occupies, uses, or is entitled to occupy or use the real property is the tax rate applicable to the transaction, regardless of when the rent payment is due or paid.  In other words, rental payments made in December, 2019 applicable to occupancy after January 1, 2020, should be assessed the reduced sales tax rate even though the payment was made before the reduced rate took effect.

No changes have been made to the local option discretionary sales surtax and those amounts will continue to be added to the state sales tax rate. The 2020 combined sales tax and discretionary sales surtax rate for several Florida counties are below:

County 2020
Alachua County 6.5%
Brevard County 6.5%
Broward County 6.5%
Duval County 6.5%
Hillsborough County 8.0%
Lake County 6.5%
Lee County 6.0%
Manatee County 6.5%
Marion County 6.5%
Miami-Dade County 6.5%
Orange County 6.0%
Osceola County 7.0%
Palm Beach County 6.5%
Pasco County 6.5%
Pinellas County 6.5%
Polk County 6.5%
Sarasota County 6.5%
Seminole County 6.5%
St. Lucie County 6.5%
Volusia County 6.0%

Share on...

What's New?

Florida Eliminating Sales Tax on Commercial Leases Starting October 1, 2025

Effective October 1, 2025, Florida will no longer assess state sales tax or the local surtax on rent from commercial leases. This eliminates Florida state sales tax and county surtaxes on base rent, operating expenses and all other charges payable to landlords under commercial leases in the form of rent on leasing commercial real property ...

Fourteen from Winderweedle Named 2026 Best Lawyers in America©,Two Named “Ones to Watch”

Fourteen lawyers from the law firm of Winderweedle, Haines, Ward and Woodman, P.A., were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© (2026), and two lawyers were named "Ones to Watch". The list of Winderweedle Best Lawyer honorees includes, Joseph P. "Rusty" Carolan, III in Banking and Finance Law, Business Organizations and Corporate ...

ADA “Tester” Lawsuits: What Business Owners Need to Know

Let's explore a few real-world scenarios that highlight potential legal pitfalls for business owners: You own a small restaurant. One day, your business faces a lawsuit alleging the parking lot is not ADA-compliant. You operate a hotel booking website. The website is threatened with legal action for failing to disclose whether a particular hotel offers ...
Scroll to Top