Florida Attorney General - Volume 6, Issue 14

Publication of the Office of the Attorney General • Volume 6, Issue 14 • April 4, 2008

Weekly Message from Attorney General Bill McCollum

This week, the Capitol was covered with the handprints of thousands of children celebrating Children's Week at the Capitol. More than 100,000 handprints and other art projects were hung from the atrium of our Capitol, reminding all of our public servants that they are working for the children and, through them, our future.

Also this week, the Florida Children's Cabinet, created by Governor Crist, met and discussed the topics which direct its charge. Created in 2007, the Cabinet examines various children's needs, including education, health, and stable family structures, and works to develop long-term strategies on how those needs should be addressed. My Regional Deputy for South Florida serves on the Children's Cabinet, and along with the other 14 members, she works to coordinate and examine state agencies that deliver children's services.

In addition to looking at services provided to children, we must also consider issues which directly affect our children, including cybersafety and the threat of gangs and gang violence. I am told that gangs in Florida are recruiting children as young as 10 years old and I believe it is imperative that we do whatever we can to protect our children from this dangerous threat. Prevention and intervention are key to this effort and I look forward to being able to unveil my gang reduction strategy by the end of this month.

It is vitally important for our state and its leaders to consider the future of our children. As a parent and a grandparent, I know children are impressionable and need exemplary role models as well as the care and attention to develop into productive and promising citizens of our state.

Whether it is recognizing April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, working to educate our middle and high school students about cybersafety, or developing prevention and intervention programs to keep our children out of criminal street gangs, safeguarding Florida's children is one of my highest priorities. As the displays in the Capitol this week suggest, our future is truly in their hands.

Hover over each image for a larger size.

Attorney General McCollum announced that as the 2008 Legislative Session reaches its midpoint, all six bills supported by the Attorney General as his legislative priorities this year are making good progress in the Legislature. The bills cover a wide range of issues related to protecting the safety and security of Floridians, from enhancing the rights of victims of child pornography to providing additional protections against mortgage-related fraud.

CyberSafety Update - To date, the Attorney General's CyberSafety Presentation has reached more than 56,000 students.

Attorney General McCollum sued a Clearwater business, alleging it engaged in deceptive and unfair practices by charging for “foreclosure consulting services” but failing to provide the assistance promised. According to the lawsuit, Law & Associates, LLC claimed it could help homeowners who were facing foreclosure and charged an up-front cash fee of approximately $1,500 to $2,000. Consumers reported to the Attorney General’s Office that the company not only failed to provide promised services but also refused to refund the fee despite an advertised money-back guarantee.

Attorney General McCollum issued a consumer advisory warning Floridians about evolving email and internet scams, particularly those which solicit assistance in moving large sums of money through wire transfers or bank deposits. The Attorney General cautioned that as technology develops, con artists are becoming more adept at using the internet to prey on their victims, hiding behind the internet’s anonymity while offering business opportunities that cannot be passed up or stories begging for a recipient’s compassion.

Attorney General McCollum announced that his office has filed a lawsuit against a company which advertises it can help consumers who have poor credit purchase computers. Maryland-based BlueHippo is a financial company which advertises heavily on television and other media outlets throughout the nation and, according to the Attorney General’s lawsuit, allegedly engages in questionable advertising and sales tactics to solicit customers including misrepresentation of terms of sale, delivery and refunds.

Attorney General McCollum announced that his office has reached a resolution with six cruise lines over the imposition of a retroactively-imposed fuel surcharge on cruise passengers. Carnival and its five subsidiary cruise lines have agreed to refund approximately $40 million to consumers nationwide who were charged the fuel surcharge after they had booked their cruises. Other affected cruise lines are Holland America, Princess, Costa, Cunard and Seabourne.

Attorney General McCollum announced that a certified nursing assistant has been arrested on charges that she abused two mentally disabled residents under her care. Nainawattie Deyorra, a former employee of a Lee County Intermediate Care Facility, was taken into custody by law enforcement with the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. She is charged with two counts of abusing an elderly person or disabled adult.

Clearwater Company Sued for Deceptive "Foreclosure Consulting Services"

McCollum: Be Wary of Email and Internet Scams Involving Wire Transfers or Bank Deposits

Attorney General’s Office Receives 17 Prudential-Davis Productivity Awards

Lee County Certified Nursing Assistant Arrested for Abusing Two Disabled Residents of Care Facility

Computer Mail Order Company Sued for Deceptive Business Practices

Attorney General McCollum Announces Progress on 2008 Legislative Priorities

Carnival, Subsidiary Cruise Lines Reach Settlement with Attorney General Over Fuel Surcharges

Attorney General McCollum announced that his office has received 17 Prudential - Davis Productivity Awards for both team and individual efforts to increase productivity and save money for Florida taxpayers and businesses. The estimated total savings for this year from the productivity improvements and innovation is more than $8.4 million and the agency was also recognized for nearly $600 million in other consumer protection recoveries. The number is historically significant for the Attorney General’s Office, as the agency has received a total of 21 awards over the past 20 years, not counting this year’s recipients.

TV coverage of the Attorney General's settlement with Carnival Cruise Lines is available from ABC Action News in Tampa online here and WTXL ABC 27 in Tallahassee online here.

On Wednesday, the Attorney General met with a reporter from the Bradenton Herald about his developing gang reduction strategy. The reporter's story is available online here.