Book Bans in Florida
American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE) is disturbed by the escalating intimidation by Florida officials targeting parents, school boards, and superintendents who defy their extralegal orders to remove a list of books they don’t like.
As Kelly Jensen of Book Riot reports, Florida officials including the Attorney General and Education Commissioner have sent letters demanding districts remove books they falsely deem “pornographic,” and superintendents have been called before the State Board of Education to be badgered, in several cases ultimately acceding to the demands over the protests of their school boards. Unlike in South Carolina and Utah, there is no legal structure to enable statewide book bans in Florida.
If you are in Florida and want to know how you can help, contact the Florida Freedom to Read Project.
Fall Fly-In
Booksellers are encouraged to join us in Washington, DC, on October 7, for a fly-in to advocate on behalf of the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA), which would introduce competition into the credit card processing market and lower fees.
To sign up or learn more, email [email protected].
More Tariff Changes, De Minimus Exemption to End
The tariff landscape continues to change as the White House announced new tariffs last week. Among the key announcements:
- Effective August 29, 2025, the US is suspending the de minimis exemption for low-value commercial imports, which means shipments valued at $800 or less will generally no longer be exempt from duties and formal entry requirements.
- As of August 1, 2025, the US raised the tariff rate for Canadian imports not covered by USMCA (United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement) from 25% to 35%.
- The US and China extended a tariff truce for another 90 days, pushing trade negotiations to the fall. During this period, the US tariff on Chinese goods remains at 30% (down from 145%), while China's tariff on US goods is 10% (down from 125%).
These tariffs may indirectly impact bookstores by affecting book and shipping prices or consumer spending. Things are constantly in motion, but we will continue to update the Advocacy tariff page.