Sunshine Sentinel

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody is activating Florida’s Price Gouging Hotline as Idalia approaches. The order follows Governor Ron DeSantis’s state of emergency declaration covering Alachua, Bay, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, and Wakulla counties. The Price Gouging Hotline is now available to receive reports of extreme price increases on essential commodities needed to prepare for the storm. Florida’s price gouging law only applies to items and services essential for use during the storm, including getting ready for or recovering from a storm, within the areas of a declared state of emergency.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “I have activated our Price Gouging Hotline to take complaints about extreme price increases on commodities needed to prepare for a potential storm strike. Please make preparation now, pay attention to weather updates and report price gouging to my office by calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM, visiting MyFloridaLegal.com, or downloading our app—No Scam.”

During a storm-related declared state of emergency, state law prohibits excessive increases in the price of essential commodities, such as equipment, food, gasoline, hotel rooms, ice, lumber and water needed as a direct result of the event.

Anyone who suspects price gouging can report it to the Florida Attorney General’s Office by using the No Scam app, visiting MyFloridaLegal.com or calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM. The Attorney General’s No Scam app can be downloaded for free on the Apple and Android app stores by searching No Scam.

For more information on price gouging, access Attorney General Moody’s Scams at a Glance: Price Gouging resource by clicking here.

To download Scams at a Glance: Price Gouging in Spanish, click here.

Violators of the price gouging statute are subject to civil penalties of $1,000 per violation and up to a total of $25,000 for multiple violations committed in a single 24-hour period as well as penalties for violations of other applicable laws. 

Attorney General Moody recently released the 2023 Hurricane Preparedness Guide. The guide contains information on tropical systems, preparedness checklists and tips for avoiding storm-related scams before, during and after a weather event. 

To download the 2023 Hurricane Preparedness Guide in English, click here.

To download the guide in Spanish, click here.

Original source can be found here.