AG Moody Activates Price Gouging Hotline in Preparation for Elsa

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody today expanded Florida’s Price Gouging Hotline as Tropical Storm Elsa moves closer to Florida. The activation follows Governor Ron DeSantis’s state of emergency declaration covering Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota counties. The Price Gouging Hotline is now active to receive reports of extreme price increases on essential commodities needed to prepare for the storm. Florida’s price gouging law only applies to commodities and services essential to preparing for or recovering from a storm within the areas of a declared state of emergency.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “It is important that Floridians keep an eye on Tropical Storm Elsa and make preparations now should the storm impact our state. I have activated the Price Gouging Hotline to help Floridians purchasing essential commodities and ask that anyone who sees outrageous price increases on essential items please report it to our office immediately.”

During a storm-related declared state of emergency, state law prohibits excessive increases in the price of essential commodities, such as food, water, hotel rooms, ice, gasoline, lumber and equipment, 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 through Apple and Android stores by searching NO SCAM.

For tips on reporting price gouging, click here.

For more information on price gouging, please click here.

To download Attorney General Moody’s Scams at a Glance: Price Gouging brochure in English, click 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. In addition to the civil penalties for price gouging, state law criminalizes the sale of goods and services to the public without possession of a business tax receipt.

For tips on what to do before and after a storm strikes, download the 2021 Hurricane Preparedness Guide here.

To download the guide in Spanish, click here.
UPDATE 7/5: Governor DeSantis has now extended the state of emergency for the following counties: Alachua, Columbia, Dixie, Franklin, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lake, Lafayette, Madison, Marion, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor and Wakulla. The state of emergency has also been amended to remove the following counties: DeSoto, Hardee and Miami-Dade.

The Attorney General’s Price Gouging Hotline is now active for these specific counties. Florida’s price gouging laws for this event apply only within the areas of the declared state of emergency and only for commodities and services essential to preparing for or recovering from the storm event.
UPDATE 7/6: Governor DeSantis has now extended the state of emergency for the following counties: Baker, Bradford, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam and Union. The state of emergency has also been amended to remove the following county: Franklin.

The Attorney General’s Price Gouging Hotline is now active for these specific counties. Florida’s price gouging laws for this event apply only within the areas of the declared state of emergency and only for commodities and services essential to preparing for or recovering from the storm event.