Author: Jim Turner

TALLAHASSEE — Florida is about to find out how much a week of sales-tax “freedom” translates into capitalism.
Starting Thursday, in what lawmakers dubbed “Freedom Week,” people will receive sales-tax breaks when they make a wide range of purchases that could help spur them to be more active after being limited by the coronavirus pandemic.
Shoppers from Thursday through July 7 will be able to avoid paying all or part of sales taxes on purchases such as grills; bicycles; fishing and camping gear; kayaks and canoes; tickets for concerts, movies and ball games; gym memberships; boxes of softballs and sleeves of tennis balls; and even sunscreen.

Apalachicola city commissioners worked to come to terms Tuesday evening with Gov. Ron DeSantis order Monday to suspend all local-government coronavirus emergency orders. The governor signed a bill that makes permanent his ban on COVID-19 vaccine “passports” and limits the authority of cities and counties in future health-care crises. “My message is that the vaccines…