The humble penny may be headed for the bench in Florida, at least when it comes to in-person cash purchases. State lawmakers have approved a bill that would let retailers round cash totals to the nearest five cents, with the measure now sitting on Gov. Ron DeSantis' desk. Card and digital payments would still be charged to the exact cent, so your online cart is safe.
‘One-cent Piece’ Clears Tallahassee
The proposal, dubbed the “One-cent Piece” and filed as CS/SB 1074 with companion HB 951, raced through the Capitol with bipartisan ease. The Senate unanimously approved the committee substitute on Feb. 26, followed by a 111-1 House vote on March 10, and lawmakers ordered the enrolled bill on March 17, according to the Florida Senate.
How the Nickel Rounding Would Work
If the penny drops out of production, the new law spells out exactly how cash totals get rounded at the register. Bills ending in:
- 1 or 2 cents would round down to the nearest 0
- 3 or 4 cents would round up to 5
- 6 or 7 cents would round down to 5
- 8 or 9 cents would round up to 10
- Amounts already ending in 0 or 5 would stay the same
Local coverage has highlighted simple examples: a $10.02 cash total would become $10.00, while $10.09 would round to $10.10. The change would apply only to cash payments, not to card transactions, according to NBC 6 South Florida.
Why Tallahassee Is Moving Quickly
Backers of the bill point to a shrinking supply of pennies and the increasingly lopsided math of making them. Treasury figures put the unit cost of minting a single penny at about 3.69 cents, and the U.S. Mint stopped issuing new pennies into circulation in late 2025, according to WLRN.
Cash-heavy Shops Will Feel It First
Businesses that still see a lot of small cash transactions, like convenience stores, some food counters and laundromats, are expected to notice the shift before anyone else. In South Florida, reporters found that pennies are already an endangered species in many cash drawers. “Lots of people don’t have pennies,” one cashier told Local 10, while Nova Southeastern University economics professor Albert Williams noted the coin now costs nearly four cents to produce.
Tax Math and Legal Cover for Stores
The enrolled bill draws a bright line between rounding and pricing. The nickel rounding applies only to cash payments and does not change the actual sales price or the amount of tax owed. Sales tax is calculated on the pre-rounded total, a detail aimed at avoiding arguments with both customers and tax collectors. The measure also states that rounding to the nearest five cents is not considered a deceptive or unfair trade practice when pennies are out of production. The full statutory language appears in the Florida Senate enrolled bill.
DeSantis' Call and What Shoppers Can Expect
Gov. DeSantis can sign the bill, veto it, or let it become law without his signature. Local outlets report it is already on his desk awaiting a decision. If it goes into effect, the change would kick in as soon as it becomes law, and retailers would have the option, not the obligation, to round cash totals, according to NBC 6 South Florida.
For now, pennies remain legal tender in Florida. But if the governor signs off, shoppers can expect to see fewer copper coins at the counter and a bit more nickel-based math at cash lanes, a small tweak that could quietly change how everyday payments feel across the state.
