Reported by Heather Sorentrue
TAVARES -- The slumping economy is causing Fourth of July fireworks sales to fizzle around Central Florida.
Fireworks dealers News 13 spoke with in Lake County said foot traffic has been slow all week at their roadside tents.
Business started to pick up Friday afternoon, but dealers said the crowds were not what they were several years before.
As a result, last-minute shoppers can find lots of extra incentives.
“We’re doing a buy one, get one free on some of the products, and also with the package deals, we are doing buy one package, and you get a little package free with that,” said Jennifer Wooten, a fireworks dealer.
Employees at several of the tents said they stayed open late Friday, and will continue to be open Saturday to try to cash in on any customers still looking to celebrate Independence Day with a bang.
If you do buy your own fireworks. Make sure you stay safe:
Cities Scale Back Celebrations
The tough economy is causing many cities to scale back their fireworks plans this weekend.
In Orlando, the annual Fireworks at the Fountain Event at Lake Eola has been cut from 20 minutes to 15 minutes.
Those five minutes will reportedly save the city about $8,500.
The city of Kissimmee has also shortened the time of its big event, but the length of the fireworks show has stayed the same.
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