Current:Home > FinanceOver 200 price gouging complaints as Florida residents evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton-InfoLens
Over 200 price gouging complaints as Florida residents evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton
View Date:2024-12-23 16:08:07
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. — Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has received more than 200 complaints about price gouging as many thousands of residents prepared to evacuate from Hurricane Milton.
As of Monday, most complaints are about fuel and water, said Kylie Mason, Moody's spokesperson. The top three counties for complaints are Highlands, Hillsborough, and Pinellas. There were also scattered instances involving overnight accommodations, including one Airbnb listing of a "room in Tallahassee" for nearly $6,000 a night.
"Our team already reached out to our (Airbnb) corporate contact and tracked down the owner," Mason said. "We are sharing a copy of the price gouging statute ... and making them aware of their legal responsibility."
Moody extended Florida’s Price Gouging Hotline, which was in effect for Hurricane Helene and Milton. The storm regained Category 5 strength Tuesday as it barreled across the Gulf of Mexico and toward the Florida peninsula, where millions scrambled to wrap up storm preparations and evacuate vulnerable areas.
The National Hurricane Center said damaging winds, life-threatening storm surge, and heavy rainfall will extend well outside the forecast cone. Hurricane warning maps show Florida blanketed in red and orange alerts.
Florida price gouging law covers lodging, equipment, food, and more
During a storm-related state of emergency, Florida law prohibits price gouging for equipment, food, gasoline, hotel rooms, ice, lumber, and water needed as a direct result of the event, according to the Attorney General's Office.
Violators are subject to civil penalties of $1,000 per violation and up to $25,000 for multiple violations committed in a single 24-hour period. More than 450 complaints of price gouging were received after Helene, which made landfall as a Category 4 on Florida's Nature Coast near Dekle Beach in late September.
Those complaints were mostly about fuel in Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Pasco counties, which suffered catastrophic flooding hours before Helene hit the coast.
Hurricane Milton:Photos show Florida bracing for impact ahead of landfall
Avoid being scammed
Attorneys general in several states have warned people to be wary of an onslaught of scammers who usually show up in the wake of natural disasters and who some say are already arriving after Hurricane Helene tore through six states.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr urged people to be on the lookout for home repair fraud, charity fraud, imposter scams, and price gouging.
“As we pray for the families of those who lost their lives and all Georgians affected by Hurricane Helene, our consumer protection division continues to actively monitor reports of potential home repair fraud and other storm-related scams,” Carr said. “By doing research on a company or contractor, you can help to prevent one tragedy from leading to another."
To avoid being scammed, experts say, storm survivors should verify people are who they say they are and should be wary of anyone asking for sensitive information or money. Authorities in Hillsborough County, Florida, issued a set of tips on how to avoid falling for a sham contractor, adding, “If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.” Tips include:
- Ensure repairs are covered by insurance and have an insurance company evaluate the damage before arranging repairs.
- Obtain three written, itemized estimates for repairs.
- Never pay the full cost of the repairs up front and be wary of providing large deposits.
Contributing: Michael Loria, USA TODAY
Ana Goñi-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network – Florida, can be reached at [email protected].
veryGood! (48)
Related
- Voters in Oakland oust Mayor Sheng Thao just 2 years into her term
- 49ers rookie Ricky Pearsall shot in attempted robbery in San Francisco
- AI may not steal many jobs after all. It may just make workers more efficient
- Dusty Baker, his MLB dream no longer deferred, sees son Darren start his with Nationals
- Man gets a life sentence in the shotgun death of a New Mexico police officer
- How Swimmer Ali Truwit Got Ready for the 2024 Paralympics a Year After Losing Her Leg in a Shark Attack
- Expect more illnesses in listeria outbreak tied to Boar's Head deli meat, food safety attorney says
- Border arrests are expected to rise slightly in August, hinting 5-month drop may have bottomed out
- Horoscopes Today, November 12, 2024
- Venice Film Festival welcomes Pitt and Clooney, and their new film ‘Wolfs’
Ranking
- Sean Diddy Combs' Lawyers File New Motion for Bail, Claiming Evidence Depicts a Consensual Relationship
- 2024 fantasy football sleepers: Best value picks for latest ADP plays
- Expect more illnesses in listeria outbreak tied to Boar's Head deli meat, food safety attorney says
- 1 dead, 2 hospitalized after fights lead to shooting in Clairton, Pennsylvania: Police
- Up to 20 human skulls found in man's discarded bags, home in New Mexico
- Alix Earle apologizes again for using racial slurs directed at Black people a decade ago
- Obi Ndefo, Dawson's Creek Actor, Dead at 51
- Johnny Gaudreau's widow posts moving tribute: 'We are going to make you proud'
Recommendation
-
He failed as a service dog. But that didn't stop him from joining the police force
-
Police say 1 teen dead, another injured in shooting at outside Michigan State Fair
-
Inside Zendaya and Tom Holland's Marvelous Love Story
-
Gen Z wants an inheritance. Good luck with that, say their boomer parents
-
Oil Industry Asks Trump to Repeal Major Climate Policies
-
Dusty Baker, his MLB dream no longer deferred, sees son Darren start his with Nationals
-
Are grocery stores open Labor Day 2024? Hours and details for Costco, Kroger, Publix, Aldi, more
-
Sinaloa drug kingpin sentenced to 28 years for trafficking narcotics to Alaska