Commissioner Nikki Fried & FDACS Offer Hotline for Surfside and Condo Consumer Protection

Plantation, Fla. — Today, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried held a media availability at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer regional office in Plantation to discuss consumer protection issues in the wake of the Surfside condo collapse, and action taken by the FDACS Division of Consumer Services, the state’s consumer protection agency.

“We remain heartbroken for the loved ones, survivors, and community of Surfside, and we thank the first responders who put themselves in harm’s way. We must focus on preventing future tragedies through the necessary state and local fixes on inspections, and it’s absolutely necessary for the Governor to establish a statewide task force to review the situation,” said Commissioner Nikki Fried. “We want everyone to know that FDACS is here for you, and we’ve begun dedicated tracking of condo and HOA-related consumer calls. With the outpouring of support as families heal, we want to prevent bad actors from taking advantage of generosity, so we encourage everyone to give safely with our Check-a-Charity tool on our website. Floridians come together after tragedies, and together, we will look ahead to save lives and make communities safer.”

VIDEO: A video message about reporting condo concerns may be viewed on Twitter here. A livestream video of the press conference may be viewed on Facebook here.

Reporting Condo/HOA Issues: Florida’s consumer protection hotline has received 53 condo/HOA-related calls since the beginning of June. Floridians are encouraged to report concerns about condo buildings or HOAs to the FDACS Division of Consumer Services at 1-800-HELP-FLA, 1-800-FL-AYUDA in Spanish, or online at FloridaConsumerHelp.com.

Checking Charity Status: FDACS is monitoring and in discussion with 25 charities newly formed or claiming to support Surfside victims and families. All charities raising money in or from Florida are required by law to register with FDACS as the state’s charity regulator. Floridians are encouraged to check the status of charities before donating, by using our Check-a-Charity tool available online at FloridaConsumerHelp.com.

About the Division of Consumer Services: FDACS is Florida’s state consumer protection agency responsible for regulating charities and handling consumer complaints. FDACS handles more than 400,000 consumer complaints and inquiries; oversees more than 500,000 regulated devices, entities, and products like gas pumps and grocery scales; performs over 61,000 lab analyses on products like gasoline and brake fluid; performs nearly 9,000 fair ride inspections; and returned over $2.8 million to consumers through mediations with businesses.

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