Boats sit grounded in a woodland area and along the side of the road after being pushed by rising water from Hurricane Ian near Fort Myers Beach on Sept. 29, 2022, in San Carlos Island. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surge and rain to the area causing severe damage. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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On the eve of hurricane season, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is promising rigorous enforcement of state laws against price gouging and disaster-related scams.
“We’re going to look at the prices about 30 days before, look at the average price, and see if someone’s coming in and is extraordinarily increasing that price to take advantage of people in these dire circumstances,” Moody said during a news conference in Davie.
She asked the public to report gouging via her hotline — 1-855-NOSCAM — her price-gouging app, or her website. “The price-gouging laws go into effect when a state of emergency is declared by Gov. DeSantis,” Moody said.
Hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.
Rod Davis of the Better Business Bureau appeared with Moody and outlined some common scams.
He recommended lining up reliable contractors including tree trimmers and water mitigation experts before any forecast disaster and vetting them through the BBB site. If someone you hire isn’t licensed and insured, you can’t assume they’ve pulled the proper permits.
“In addition to that, if you do have a problem down the road and they’re not local, they’re not here to come back and correct their work,” Davis said.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters have predicted above-normal hurricane activity in the Atlantic basin this year, with 17 to 25 total named storms, as the Phoenix reported earlier. Eight to 13 are forecast to be hurricanes, including 4 to 7 major hurricanes defined as categories 3, 4, or 5.
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