More Than $240,000 Secured in Price Gouging Crackdown

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to plague Florida, Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office is working hard to fight price gouging and protect consumers. The efforts are producing results for Floridians. The Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division has already secured more than $240,000 in refunds for consumers and continues to look into allegations of price gouging.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Since the emergency declaration, we have been working diligently to review and act on the thousands of price gouging reports flooding into our office. Our first goal is to stop price gouging in real time so Floridians can afford the essential commodities they need to protect their health—and I am proud to say we are meeting this goal with approximately 185 outrageous online posts removed and more than $240,000 in refunds quickly issued.

“But our work does not end there. We are also preserving evidence, issuing subpoenas and taking other legal measures to advance our price gouging investigations. Floridians can help us in this endeavor by reporting outrageous price increases to my office.”

Since activating Florida’s Price Gouging Hotline, the Florida Attorney General’s Office has:

• Received approximately 3,350 consumer contacts about the price of essential commodities;
• Made more than 4,500 referrals and contacts to merchants about allegations of price gouging, refunds and scams;
• Secured more than $240,000 in refunds related to travel, leisure and product purchases;
• Issued 65 subpoenas to further price gouging investigations; and
• Worked with online platforms to deactivate more than 185 posts offering items for outrageous prices.

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.

For more information on price gouging, please click here.

For a list of the commodities covered under the state’s price gouging laws during the COVID-19 state of emergency, click here.

Price gouging can be reported by calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM, visiting MyFloridaLegal.com or downloading the NO SCAM smartphone app.

For tips on reporting price gouging, click here.

Since the COVID-19 emergency declaration, Attorney General Moody has issued 10 Consumer Alerts with information about emerging scams and tips to avoid fraud. To view the latest alerts and to stay up-to-date on COVID-19 related scams, visit the Attorney General’s Consumer Alert webpage by clicking here.