TALLAHASSEE (AP) - As promised, Attorney General Charlie Crist is taking legal action against a couple of motels for alleged price-gouging in the wake of Hurricane Charley.
This morning, Crist filed civil complaints Tuesday for price gouging and unfair trade practices against a Days Inn in West Palm Beach and the Crossroads Motor Lodge in Lakeland. He says they jacked up room rates.
Authorities say the Days Inn advertised $39.99 on a billboard but asked for 109 and 119 dollars a room. Crist says the Crossroads advertised Friday $44.79 including taxes and fees, but charged an 85-year-old woman with a reservation $61.27.
More than 100 state investigators are in the field, and most of the initial complaints are about lodging rates.