Oct 4, 2008 12:14 pm US/Eastern
Florida Settles First Gas-Price Gouging Complaint
Florida Attorney General Accused Station Of Hiking Gasoline From $3.99 to $4.29 During Hurricane Ike
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Attorney General Bill McCollum reached his first settlement Friday with a service station accused of price gouging following Hurricane Ike, when a Panhandle gasoline station admitted it overcharged customers $1,500.
The operators of S and K of Quincy Inc. were accused of hiking the price of a gallon of regular gas from $3.99 to $4.29 on Sept. 12 in the wake of Hurricane Ike, when Florida was under a declared state of emergency.
It agreed to a settlement with the state that includes a $2,000 donation to the American Red Cross.
Investigators said at least 2,350 gallons were sold to more than 100 customers at the inflated price.
Under the terms of the settlement, the business has also agreed to make restitution to every customer who comes forward with a receipt and to repay the state for the cost of the investigation.
Price gouging during an emergency is a misdemeanor. The state can charge up to $1,000 an incident. That fee can be stacked up to up to $25,000 a day.
If you have a price gouging complaint, you can call the Attorney General's hotline at
866-966-7226. The State Agricultural Department's hotline is
800-HELP-FLA.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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