Moody activates price gouging hotline for essential items, services for Hurricane Idalia

By Michelle Vecerina

Published Aug. 30, 2023, 10:37 a.m. ET | Updated Aug. 30, 2023

Attorney General Moody Warns Floridians about Alarming Increase in Sextortion of Minors, Tallahassee, Florida, Jan. 10, 2023.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – Attorney General Ashley Moody activated Florida’s Price Gouging Hotline for extreme price increases on essential items and services for use during Hurricane Idalia.

“I have activated our Price Gouging Hotline to take complaints about extreme price increases on commodities needed to prepare for a potential storm strike,” Moody said.

According to Moody’s office, during a storm-related declared state of emergency, Florida law prohibits excessive increases in the price of essential commodities, such as equipment, food, gasoline, hotel rooms, ice, lumber and water needed as a direct result of the event.

Hurricane Idalia made landfall Wednesday morning as a strong Category 3 storm in the Florida Big Bend.

The storm’s general landfall location was in line with forecasts. It weakened from a Category 4 just before landfall.

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 as well as penalties for violations of other applicable laws, according to Moody’s office.

Moody urged anyone who suspects price gouging to report it to the Florida Attorney General’s Office by using the No Scam app, visiting MyFloridaLegal.com or calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM.

For more information on price gouging, access Attorney General Moody’s Scams at a Glance: Price Gouging resource by clicking here.

To download Scams at a Glance: Price Gouging in Spanish, click here.

Moody recently released the 2023 Hurricane Preparedness Guide. The guide contains information on tropical systems, preparedness checklists and tips for avoiding storm-related scams before, during and after a weather event.