Florida Price Gouging Hotline activated ahead of Elsa

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida’s Price Gouging Hotline has expanded as Tropical Storm Elsa moves closer to Florida.

Attorney General Ashley Moody activated the hotline following Governor Ron DeSantis’s state of emergency declaration. The Price Gouging Hotline can now receive reports of extreme price increases on essential commodities needed to prepare for the storm, according to Moody.

Florida’s price gouging law only applies to commodities and services essential to preparing for or recovering from a storm with the areas of the declared state of emergency. Governor DeSantis said the state of emergency covers the following counties:

1. Charlotte County
2. Citrus County
3. Collier County
4. DeSoto County
5. Hardee County
6. Hernando County
7. Hillsborough County
8. Lee County
9. Levy County
10. Manatee County
11. Miami-Dade County
12. Monroe County
13. Pasco County
14. Pinellas County
15. Sarasota County

During a storm-related declared state of emergency, state law prohibits excessive increases in the price of essential commodities like food, water, hotel rooms, ice, gasoline, lumber, and equipment needed because of the storm.

Any suspecting 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.

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