TALLAHASSEE, FL (352today.com) – Florida’s Attorney General (AG) is activating Florida’s Price Gouging Hotline as Idalia approaches.
State law prohibits excessive increases in the price of essential commodities, such as equipment, food, gasoline, hotel rooms, ice, lumber and water needed during a storm-related declared state of emergency. In all, 46 Florida counties are under a state of emergency.
“We want everybody to be able to afford these important supplies they will need to weather the storm,” said AG Ashley Moody. “If you see… gas, water, or lumber at an egregious price that you would not see on average, please let us know.”
There are three ways to report potential price gouging:
Call: 1(866) 9NO-SCAM
Online: Go to MyFloridaLegal.com
App: Download the state’s No Scam app (Free in Apple and Android app stores)
“You can help us gather what we will need to make sure we can hold bad actors accountable,” stated Moody. “We do have folks who can go into the field immediately and make sure those prices get reduced, but we need your help to do that.”
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.