Correction, Please!
During Hurricane Season, Price Gougers Are Vilified — but Gouging Saves Lives
Item: As residents of the southeastern United States prepared for the arrival of Hurricane Dorian, reports surfaced of a different kind of “storm surge” — price gouging. The Miami Herald noted on September 3 that the office of Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody received over 2,400 reports of price gouging in the days leading up the storm’s relatively lackluster stint in the Sunshine State. Among the offenders: A gas station selling packs of water regularly priced at $3.98 for $9.
Item: To make it easier for Floridians to report price gougers, Attorney General Moody launched an app called “NO SCAM.” The app allows users to take pictures of receipts and prices, fill out complaints, and then immediately forward the information to the Moody’s office.
Item: Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried sought to combat price gouging by temporarily lifting state restrictions that prohibit gas stations from selling gasoline for less than they paid for it. The Agriculture Department’s website announced that Emergency Order 2019-003 “suspends portions of the Motor Fuel Marketing Act that prohibits fuel retailers from selling gasoline below the price they paid for it, ensuring that fuel remains affordable to consumers throughout the storm period.”
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