Praised by retailers, derided as a gimmick by critics, Florida on Friday will start a month-long sales-tax "holiday" for back-to-school shoppers, along with eliminating sales taxes on other types of items.

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida’s annual back-to-school sales tax holiday is back, this time running for the whole month of August. The governor announced at a press conference on Monday that the tax holiday is now a permanent fixture in state law, having been passed by the legislature earlier this year.

Gov. Ron DeSantis stopped in Bay County on July 28 to celebrate that the monthlong back-to-school sales tax break is now permanent.