Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is warning Panhandle residents to watch for price gouging and repair scams as they recover from Hurricane Isaias.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis happens to be the time when some scammers come into play \u2014 people that want to take advantage of this situation,\u201d Uthmeier said at a news conference on Saturday morning.<\/p>\n
He said his office had already received reports and was working to resolve them.<\/p>\n
RELATED | \u2018Help is on the way\u2019: Hundreds of thousands in Florida Panhandle without power after Hurricane Isaias<\/a><\/p>\n The 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<\/a>. The state\u2019s toll-free reporting hotline is 1-866-9NO-SCAM (1-866-966-7226).<\/p>\n Florida law prohibits unconscionable increases in the price of essential commodities during a declared state of emergency when the goods or services are needed because of the emergency. <\/p>\n Those can include food, water, ice, gasoline, lodging and lumber, as well as services such as tree removal, water remediation and roof repair. What qualifies can vary with the length and nature of the emergency.<\/p>\n Uthmeier also cautioned residents about contractors, including people coming from out of state, who offer roof or other repairs after a storm. Some may be unlicensed or unqualified, he said, urging residents to check that anyone they hire is licensed to work in Florida.<\/p>\n His office has received reports of text messages offering tree service \u201cin coordination with your insurance company,\u201d Uthmeier said. He said the messages appear to be scams and urged residents not to respond.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you see somebody that looks like a scammer, please go to myfloridalegal.com<\/a>, report it, and we will shut it down,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Uthmeier said state and local law enforcement were coordinating to protect public safety. <\/p>\n