TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Consumers have flooded the Florida attorney general's office with complaints of hurricane-related gasoline price gouging, state officials said Wednesday.
The sudden jump in prices, attributed to gasoline stations reacting to news Hurricane Ike would close Gulf Coast refineries, had the governor fuming, WPLG-TV in Miami reported.
"It's outrageous. Enough is enough. We're not going to take it anymore," Gov. Charlie Crist said.
"Some people are so damn greedy ... they want to take financial advantage of that."
Prices in the Tallahassee area climbed to $5 a gallon against a national average of $3.85 a gallon.
The state attorney general's office said it forwarded at least 1,800 complaints to the Economic Crimes Division and state agriculture officials issued 16 subpoenas to various gas stations, the report said.
Fines for price gouging are up to $1,000 per violation, WPLG-TV reported.
