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Did You Know About These Helpful Florida Regulatory and Enforcement Agencies?

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There was an interesting article provided on behalf of the Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Committee in The Elder Law Advocate, Vol. XXVIII, No. 1, Winter 2021, Page 3. The Chair of the Committee, Steven E. Hitchcock, shares information from Karen Murillo, Vice Chair of the Abuse, Neglect, & Exploitation Committee regarding helpful Florida regulatory and enforcement agencies you might not know about. Here is information about those agencies and their services:

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) 

This agency investigates fraud, theft, other crimes, and unfair and deceptive trade practices occurring within certain regulated industries including:

  • Violations of the Do Not Call List
  • Motor vehicle repair shop complaints 
  • Charity scams and questions about the legitimacy of a charity 
  • Illegal sweepstakes and sweepstakes fraud
  • Telemarketing complaints and fraud

The FDACS website offers a Business/Complaint Lookup tool that allows consumers to check the registration and complaint status of any business engaged in these types of activity within the state. It acts as the state’s consumer complaint clearinghouse. You can file online FDACS consumer complaint forms here.

Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS) Division of Consumer Services 

The Division of DFS focuses on educating and assisting Florida consumers with most of their insurance needs and complaints. DFS offers a toll-free Insurance Consumer Helpline to assist in answering consumers’ everyday insurance-related questions, as well as assisting consumers file a complaint against an insurance company. You can file a complaint online by submitting an email to consumer.Services@myfloridacfo.com or by contacting a specialist on the hotline at 1-877-MY-FLCFO (1-877-693-5236). 

Florida Office of the Attorney General (OAG), Consumer Protection Division 

The Consumer Protection Division is the civil enforcement authority of the OAG for individuals and entities that violate the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, found in Chapter 501 of Florida Statutes. The OAG specializes in many areas, including but not limited to:

  • Price gouging complaints 
  • Mortgage and foreclosure problems 
  • Social media identity theft complaints 
  • Military and veteran assistance
  • Fraudulent business practices targeting seniors (60  years old and above). 
    • You can file a complaint over the phone by calling 1-866-9-NO-SCAM (1-866-966-7226), by printing and mailing the online complaint form, or by using the online complaint submission tools found on their File a Complaint page. 

If you have more questions regarding an Elder Law matter, you may call Ann Marie Giordano Gilden at Ann Marie Giordano Gilden, P.A. at 407-732-7620 and set an initial consultation. 

This article is for informational purposes only and does not form an attorney client privilege. 

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