Florida AG Takes Actions in Light of Wildfires

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum on Wednesday announced the activation of the Attorney General’s Price Gouging Hotline, and urged residents of Brevard and Volusia counties as well as other areas affected by wildfires to be alert for unscrupulous business operators who may take advantage of people impacted by the fires.

The Attorney General's action follows Gov. Charlie Crist’s official declaration of a State of Emergency due to the widespread damage and ongoing threat caused by wildfires currently affecting 14 Florida counties. Residents who suspect price gouging may call the hotline at 1-866-9-NO-SCAM (1-866-966-7226), and investigators will then research the complaint. Florida law prohibits extreme increases in the price of such commodities as food, water, hotels, ice, gasoline, lumber and equipment needed as a direct result of an officially declared emergency.

"As difficult as it is to be forced from your home, or worse, lose your home altogether, our citizens should not have to deal with being doubly victimized by price-gougers,” McCollum said. “We will do whatever is necessary to help protect Floridians from those who might try to take advantage of them in the wake of these devastating fires.”

Under Florida law, the price of goods or services are considered exorbitant if the increase represents a "gross disparity" from the average price of that commodity during the 30 days prior to the declared emergency. Violators of the price gouging statute are subject to civil penalties of $1,000 per violation, up to a total of $25,000 for multiple violations committed in a single 24-hour period.

The Attorney General’s Office is also providing relief to fire victims through the Florida Crisis Response Team. The FCRT consists of trained volunteer crisis responders from the Attorney General’s Division of Victim Services, national and state relief organizations, and members of law enforcement. The team sent out yesterday provided crisis intervention and emotional support to Palm Bay/Malabar residents who lost their homes in the wildfires.

By mid-morning, families were allowed to return to their residences to view damage and destruction. Team members accompanied many of these individuals and subsequently went door-to-door in some of the hardest hit areas and locations still at great risk to provide crisis intervention and support to residents. In addition, buses were available from the shelter to drive evacuees to their homes to view the damage. A crisis responder was on the bus with these individuals as many saw, for the first time, that their houses had burned to the ground.