Floridians may be paying a bit less for admission to certain sporting events if Representative Jason Brodeur (R-Sanford) has his way. His sales tax exemption for special events tickets met with no opposition in its first committee hearing Thursday.
It’s no secret that Florida’s budget relies on sales taxes, and ticket sales from sporting events generate a fair amount of revenue. But Brodeur wants to scrap these taxes for special events like all-star games and championships so Florida can attract more such events in the future. Brodeur says his bill will align Florida law with league expectations.
"We had an NBA All-Star Game in Orlando in 2010 that generated a great deal of revenue for us," Brodeur said, "since then, the league has changed their RFP in getting those kind of weekends, that include slam dunk, and 3 point contests, etc. to go from a ‘may’ include [a] sales tax admission holiday to ‘shall.’"
Brodeur contends Florida cities will not be able to host an NBA All-Star Game again if his bill isn’t passed. The law also extends this exemption to special NCAA, NFL, Major League Baseball, and Major League Soccer events. Anglers may be happy as well, because Brodeur’s bill removes sales tax on the entry fees for fresh water fishing tournaments too.
Clarification: Orlando actually hosted the NBA All-Star Game in 2012.
