Florida bill could eliminate pennies from store purchases

Lawmakers contributed their two cents (and a piggy bank full of other penny puns) as the House voted 111-1 in favor of SB 1074, sponsored by Sen. Don Gates (R-Niceville). The bill would allow retailers to round cash transactions to avoid penny requirements without running afoul of the Florida Deception and Unfair Trade Practices Act, since the U.S. government has stopped minting pennies.

“This means that if you’re a retailer that does a lot of cash transactions, you could very quickly find yourself in a situation where your customers won’t be able to pay the appropriate amount because the penny is no longer in circulation,” said Rep. Fiona McFarland (R-Sarasota), a sponsor of the House version.

“This bill codifies how you should round in those situations and says you, the store owner, can choose whether you want to round in favor of the customer or you want to round in favor of yourself,” she said.

Florida sales tax will continue to be based on the stickered sales price, she said.

The House voted on the Senate bill unchanged, leaving Gov. Ron DeSantis to introduce the bill.

Penny puns were thrown around in the discussion. “I’ll try not to spend more than a penny on it,” Rep. Toby Overdorf (R-Stuart) told the House, announcing, “We finally know what 6 to 7 means. It means 5.”

The only negative vote was from Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville, a shop owner.

“I know it’s a joke, but I own a store and I’ve been to other stores, and I see people getting angry about managers being rounded up,” Nixon said. “So I just want to put it out there. It would have been great to have it cut out.”

In case you missed it: What should you do with the pennies in your coin purse if you run out of them?

How do retailers in Florida round pennies?

The bill directs retailers to round pennies as follows:

• If the final total is 1 or 2 cents, it must be rounded down to zero.
• If your final total is 3 or 4 cents, you must round it up to 5 cents.
• If the final total is 6 or 7 cents, it must be rounded down to 5 cents.
• If your final total is 8 or 9 cents, you must round it up to 10 cents.
• Cash transactions ending in 0 or 5 cents are not rounded.

Will all transactions be rounded in Florida?

Cash transactions only if the retailer chooses to do so. The bill allows for that, but does not require it.

Whether you use a card, money order, online purchase, or other non-cash payment, you pay every penny.

Does penny rounding affect Florida sales tax?

no. “Rounding to the nearest whole nickel does not change the sales price, the amount of taxes collected under this chapter, or the surcharges, assessments, or fees imposed on sales,” the bill states.

U.S. Mint presses final cent after more than 200 years

America’s last penny was minted at the United States Mint in Philadelphia, ending coin production that began in 1793 and ended on November 12.

Wait, what happened to Penny?

In February 2025, President Donald Trump directed the U.S. Department of the Treasury to stop producing pennies because the cost to produce them has become more expensive than the value of one penny (more than 3 cents!).

The last penny blank was pressed in Philadelphia on Wednesday, November 12th.

When does SB 1074 go into effect?

Barring a veto, the penny-rounding bill would go into effect as soon as Gov. Ron DeSantis signs it or it becomes law without the governor’s signature.

CA Bridges is a journalist on the service journalism Connect team at USA TODAY Network-Florida. Sign up for our free newsletter, Florida TODAY, to get all of Florida’s best content straight to your inbox every weekday.