TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Florida Attorney General’s rapid response team has received hundreds of consumer complaints across the state on price gouging and is actively investigating 160 of them.

The response team is fielding contacts, reaching out to consumers and businesses and conducting on site visits.

The top three counties that reported price hikes for hurricane Helene are Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas.

The top three counties that reported price hikes preparing for tropical storm Milton are Highlands, Hillsborough and Pinellas.

Anna Maria Fiallos, investigator with Pinellas County consumer protection, discusses the reality of profiting on struggling Florida residents during these tragic times.

“We just came off of the last storm and now going into another,” Fiallos said. “There’s a lot of devastation and unfortunately in any situation, even in a disaster, there’s bad actors that will take advantage of it. That’s why we rely on our residents of Pinellas County to be alert and let us know, so we can go out and do what we can to protect them.”

Not everything on the shelves is considered “essential.” However, food, ice, water, equipment, and even gasoline and hotel rooms are what folks need to keep an eye out for.

The Attorney General’s Office shared that this hurricane season, gasoline concerns are what most consumers are reporting.

The best way to protect you, your family, and friends is to plan ahead. Stock up on water, food, and supplies before hurricane season even begins.

If you have any suspicions, report it to the Attorney General’s Price Gouging Hotline at 1-866-966-7226.

You may also report violations via the No Scam app or online.