The Supreme Court invalidated Trump’s most sweeping tariffs, finding that he does not have the authority to impose the levies using an emergency powers law.
TAMPA, Fla. — A recent Supreme Court decision on tariffs is drawing mixed reactions from Tampa Bay-area business owners, some of whom say months of uncertainty have strained operations, while others report record growth tied to rising costs of overseas goods.
On Friday, the Supreme Court invalidated President Trump’s most sweeping tariffs, finding in a 6-3 ruling that he does not have the authority to impose the levies using an emergency powers law.
The 6-3 decision included three liberals and three conservatives in the majority. CBS News reported that the six justices found the law known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, does not give the president the power to impose tariffs.
Local businesses say the rapidly shifting tariff landscape has been difficult to navigate, especially without the scale and resources of major corporations such as Amazon or Shein. Owners say the high court’s ruling Friday could either significantly help — or hurt — their bottom line.
“The hardest part is that it’s been very unpredictable, and it’s just changing constantly,” said Abigail StClair, owner of TeBella, a loose-leaf tea retailer in the region.
With four brick and mortar locations, including their flag ship shop on Davis Islands, StClair said the past few months have been marked by uncertainty. That’s in large part, StClair said, because most of her products are sourced from overseas suppliers. With about 100 different loose-leaf tea flavors, including orange amaretto, she said the business has had to adjust repeatedly to policy changes.
“It’s been chaotic. So, I’m not sure that rolling it back will be the smoothest process either, but we’re grateful that we’re at least headed in that direction. I am so hopeful that things will get a lot easier,” StClair said.
While some import-reliant businesses have struggled, others say tariffs have created new opportunities.
Haddy, a St. Petersburg-based 3D printing company, says higher costs for imported goods have pushed more customers to consider domestic manufacturing. The company uses robotics to print items such as boats, lighting and furniture.
“It is now going to be demonstratively more expensive for me to buy it over seas because of the tariff. Then they start to ask the questions, then they realize, ‘Wait a second, if I had paid attention earlier or if I had thought about it earlier, there might be a better way to do it in the U.S. where I can not only get it cheaper, but I can get it cheaper and without tariffs,’” said Jay Rogers, CEO and co-founder of Haddy.
According to the company, production has doubled every year since 2023, except last year when it experienced growth 15 times its annual rate.
Rogers said he believes automation is reshaping long-standing assumptions about overseas labor advantages.
“I think a lot of people in America have lost heart that we make things in America. I think they’ve given up behind closed doors and say that things are made in Southeast Asia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and when you have a labor advantage, it’s very hard to make things in America when other countries have a labor cost advantage. That’s going away in the age of robotics,” he said.
For now, business owners say they are watching closely to see how the Supreme Court’s decision reshapes the economic landscape — and whether stability returns to a tariff environment they describe as anything but predictable.