Local News

More Than 100 Complaints Of Price-Gouging In Fla.

TALLAHASSEE (AP) ― Florida consumer hot lines continue to get calls about price gouging, even after Tropical Storm Fay has made landfall.

Most of the complaints are due to fuel prices, which are skyrocketing in some areas.

Operators began taking price-gouging calls when Governor Charlie Crist signed a bill placing Florida under a State of Emergency. Under the state of emergency, there is a price gouging law in effect. If consumers see prices on essential items jacked up because of a storm, they have two possible numbers to call to complain.

Since the numbers went into effect, there have been at least 130 complaints. While a majority of those deal with gas prices, others have been due to inflated prices for hotels, bottled water, building materials and even batteries.

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum says his office is taking the complaints very seriously. "There may be some real price gouging going on out there. And again, something to be wary of now… think about now, having a bigger storm later in the season, which is entirely possible… just always keep that in mind."

If you see companies raising prices on essential survival items, contact the complain hot lines at either: 1-866-9NO-SCAM or 1-800-HELP-FLA. Violators of the law could be charged up to $25,000 a day.

(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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