Dustin Peterson wasted no time reporting the $25 and $30 cases of water he found at a convenience store in Plant City.
Water and gas were the top two topics of consumer outrage pouring into the Attorney General's office since Pam Bondi issued a moratorium on price gouging Sunday.
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We followed up on the complaints at stores and gas stations across the bay area. In some cases the owner or manager offered a plausible explanation.
Jujhar Singh Gil explained that the cases he put out on the store floor are the same cases that come off the truck. Store policy is to break down the cases and sell bottles individually. Due to demand Gil placed cases out on the floor and sold them for the per bottle price. He says he has not raised the cost on a single item this week.
We found other stores engaging in the same practice citing demand for a large amount of water per person. Another viewer sent in a video clip that shows the price of gas at $8.81 per gallon at a Wawa on Waters Avenue.
We asked the manager about that sign and they explained lightning struck an underground cable on Thursday affecting their electronics. A problem they quickly corrected and they say the price at the pump never changed.
The state is asking anyone with proof of price gouging to call 866-9-NO-SCAM. The attorney general's team will investigate every report involving both businesses and individuals. Violators face a $1000 fine per violation.
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