Florida attorney general warns of price gouging, repair scams after Hurricane Isaias

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is warning Panhandle residents to watch for price gouging and repair scams as they recover from Hurricane Isaias.“This happens to be the time when some scammers come into play — people that want to take advantage of this situation,” Uthmeier said at a news conference on Saturday morning.He said his office had already received reports and was working to resolve them.RELATED | ‘Help is on the way’: Hundreds of thousands in Florida Panhandle without power after Hurricane IsaiasThe state activated its price-gouging reporting process before the storm, after Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 25 Florida counties. Uthmeier said residents can report suspected price gouging to his office at myfloridalegal.com. The state’s toll-free reporting hotline is 1-866-9NO-SCAM (1-866-966-7226).Florida law prohibits unconscionable increases in the price of essential commodities during a declared state of emergency when the goods or services are need