Florida AG to Hunt Price Gouging Businesses Ahead of Hurricane

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi plans to penalize any businesses, including local hotels, that price gouge customers in the lead up and aftermath of Hurricane Matthew.

“If you are a hotel and you’re increasing your prices, we are going after you. You cannot increase your prices in a state of emergency,” Bondi said during an interview with FOX Business Network’s Cavuto: Coast-to-Coast.

Bondi said her office has investigators monitoring businesses around the clock to ensure that any hurricane victims won’t suffer financially due to price hikes. She warned residents should take all necessary safety measures and recommended Floridians travel from East to West to find safer grounds.

“It’s sickening if you are a hotel and you are raising your prices to profit from people who are out of their homes and need a place to stay,” Bondi told host Neil Cavuto.

The attorney general said the majority of its residents are listening to Governor Rick Scott and the Florida Division of Emergency Management and leaving the areas where Hurricane Matthew is planning to make the most damage.

“From what we are seeing, the majority of our citizens are listening to the governor; they are listening to the emergency operation center, they are leaving town,” she said.