Florida Statute 501.976 | Lawyer Caselaw & Research

The 2024 Florida Statutes

Title XXXIII
REGULATION OF TRADE, COMMERCE, INVESTMENTS, AND SOLICITATIONS

Chapter 501
CONSUMER PROTECTION

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F.S. 501.976

501.976 Actionable, unfair, or deceptive acts or practices.—It is an unfair or deceptive act or practice, actionable under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, for a dealer to:

(1) Represent directly or indirectly that a motor vehicle is a factory executive vehicle or executive vehicle unless such vehicle was purchased directly from the manufacturer or a subsidiary of the manufacturer and the vehicle was used exclusively by the manufacturer, its subsidiary, or a dealer for the commercial or personal use of the manufacturer’s, subsidiary’s, or dealer’s employees.

(2) Represent directly or indirectly that a vehicle is a demonstrator unless the vehicle complies with the definition of a demonstrator in s. 320.60(3).

(3) Represent the previous usage or status of a vehicle to be something that it was not, or make usage or status representations unless the dealer has correct information regarding the history of the vehicle to support the representations.

(4) Represent the quality of care, regularity of servicing, or general condition of a vehicle unless known by the dealer to be true and supportable by material fact.

(5) Represent orally or in writing that a particular vehicle has not sustained structural or substantial skin damage unless the statement is made in good faith and the vehicle has been inspected by the dealer or his or her agent to determine whether the vehicle has incurred such damage.

(6) Sell a vehicle without fully and conspicuously disclosing in writing at or before the consummation of sale any warranty or guarantee terms, obligations, or conditions that the dealer or manufacturer has given to the buyer. If the warranty obligations are to be shared by the dealer and the buyer, the method of determining the percentage of repair costs to be assumed by each party must be disclosed. If the dealer intends to disclaim or limit any expressed or implied warranty, the disclaimer must be in writing in a conspicuous manner and in lay terms in accordance with chapter 672 and the Magnuson-Moss Warranty—Federal Trade Commission Improvement Act.

(7) Provide an express or implied warranty and fail to honor such warranty unless properly disclaimed pursuant to subsection (6).

(8) Misrepresent warranty coverage, application period, or any warranty transfer cost or conditions to a customer.

(9) Obtain signatures from a customer on contracts that are not fully completed at the time the customer signs or which do not reflect accurately the negotiations and agreement between the customer and the dealer.

(10) Require or accept a deposit from a prospective customer prior to entering into a binding contract for the purchase and sale of a vehicle unless the customer is given a written receipt that states how long the dealer will hold the vehicle from other sale and the amount of the deposit, and clearly and conspicuously states whether and upon what conditions the deposit is refundable or nonrefundable.

(11) Add to the cash price of a vehicle as defined in s. 520.02(2) any fee or charge other than those provided in that section and in rule 69V-50.001, Florida Administrative Code. All fees or charges permitted to be added to the cash price by rule 69V-50.001, Florida Administrative Code, must be fully disclosed to customers in all binding contracts concerning the vehicle’s selling price.

(12) Alter or change the odometer mileage of a vehicle.

(13) Sell a vehicle without disclosing to the customer the actual year and model of the vehicle.

(14) File a lien against a new vehicle purchased with a check unless the dealer fully discloses to the purchaser that a lien will be filed if purchase is made by check and fully discloses to the buyer the procedures and cost to the buyer for gaining title to the vehicle after the lien is filed.

(15) Increase the price of the vehicle after having accepted an order of purchase or a contract from a buyer, notwithstanding subsequent receipt of an official price change notification. The price of a vehicle may be increased after a dealer accepts an order of purchase or a contract from a buyer if:

(a) A trade-in vehicle is reappraised because it subsequently is damaged, or parts or accessories are removed;

(b) The price increase is caused by the addition of new equipment, as required by state or federal law;

(c) The price increase is caused by the revaluation of the United States dollar by the Federal Government, in the case of a foreign-made vehicle;

(d) The price increase is caused by state or federal tax rate changes; or

(e) Price protection is not provided by the manufacturer, importer, or distributor.

(16) Advertise the price of a vehicle unless the vehicle is identified by year, make, model, and a commonly accepted trade, brand, or style name. The advertised price must include all fees or charges that the customer must pay, including freight or destination charge, dealer preparation charge, and charges for undercoating or rustproofing. State and local taxes, tags, registration fees, and title fees, unless otherwise required by local law or standard, need not be disclosed in the advertisement. When two or more dealers advertise jointly, with or without participation of the franchisor, the advertised price need not include fees and charges that are variable among the individual dealers cooperating in the advertisement, but the nature of all charges that are not included in the advertised price must be disclosed in the advertisement.

(17) Charge a customer for any predelivery service required by the manufacturer, distributor, or importer for which the dealer is reimbursed by the manufacturer, distributor, or importer.

(18) Charge a customer for any predelivery service without having printed on all documents that include a line item for predelivery service the following disclosure: “This charge represents costs and profit to the dealer for items such as inspecting, cleaning, and adjusting vehicles, and preparing documents related to the sale.”

(19) Fail to disclose damage to a new motor vehicle, as defined in s. 319.001(9), of which the dealer had actual knowledge, if the dealer’s actual cost of repairs exceeds the threshold amount, excluding replacement items.

In any civil litigation resulting from a violation of this section, when evaluating the reasonableness of an award of attorney’s fees to a private person, the trial court shall consider the amount of actual damages in relation to the time spent.

History.—s. 29, ch. 2001-196; s. 4, ch. 2002-4; s. 1, ch. 2002-54; s. 19, ch. 2002-235; s. 7, ch. 2003-269; s. 139, ch. 2008-4; s. 43, ch. 2008-176.

F.S. 501.976 on Google Scholar

F.S. 501.976 on Casetext

Amendments to 501.976

Arrestable Offenses / Crimes under Fla. Stat. 501.976

Level: Degree
Misdemeanor/Felony: First/Second/Third

Current data shows no reason an arrest or criminal charge should have occurred directly under Florida Statute 501.976.

Annotations, Discussions, Cases:

Cases Citing Statute 501.976

Total Results: 7

ESTHER BABANI v. BROWARD AUTOMOTIVE, INC. d/b/a AUDI FT. LAUDERDALE

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 2022-09-30T00:53:00-07:00

Snippet: charge appeared the language required by section 501.976(18), Florida Statutes (2019), known as the Florida

MAROONE CHEVROLET, LLC d/b/a MAROONE CHEVROLET v. GERMAN ALVARADO

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 2022-07-06T00:53:00-07:00

Snippet: both trucks; 2) violation FDUTPA section 501.976 on the Second Truck; 3) violation of the …awarded damages for the Second Truck under section 501.976 for Alvarado’s claim in Count 2 but awarded no …First Truck but had violated section 501.976 on the Second Truck, awarding Alvarado…$31,976.43. This appeal followed. The Section 501.976 Claim Maroone first argued Alvarado was not…damages for his claim in Count 2 under section 501.976 on the Second Truck because the $6,768.76 awarded

Michael T. Angelo d/b/a Orange Park Auto Mall v. Timothy Parker, individually and on behalf of those similarly situated

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 2019-06-20T00:53:00-07:00

Citation: 275 So. 3d 752

Snippet: of motor vehicles. § 501.976, Fla. Stat. (2016). Section 501.976(11), Florida Statutes (2016

Sanchez v. AN Luxury Imports of Pembroke Pines, Inc.

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 2017-04-12T00:00:00-07:00

Citation: 216 So. 3d 723, 2017 WL 1364000, 2017 Fla. App. LEXIS 5057

Snippet: . Defendants’ counsel pointed out that section 501.976, which is the FDUTPA attorney’s fees statute specifically…retainer” and that under sections 501.2105 and 501.976, the “amount of time actually spent was grossly…501.2105, Fla. Stat, (2010). Moreover, section 501.976, in pertinent part, specifies a proportionality…actual damages in relation to the time spent. § 501.976, Fla. Stat. (2010). In the recent case of Gustafsson

State v. Beach Blvd Automotive, Inc.

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 2014-05-19T00:00:00-07:00

Citation: 139 So. 3d 380, 2014 WL 2040853, 2014 Fla. App. LEXIS 7574

Snippet: disclosures, an alleged violation of sections 501.976(11) and (18), Florida Statutes. In Count 4, Appellant…adequate disclosure, an alleged violation of section 501.976(10), Florida Statutes. It also alleged that certain…refundable or nonrefundable as required by section 501.976, Florida Statutes. As to Count 5, Appellees’ counsel… the deposit is refundable or nonrefundable. § 501.976(10), Fla. Stat. (2011). Appellees argue that dismissal…complaint that the stamp did not fully satisfy section 501.976(10) because it did not clearly and conspicuously

Miami Automotive Retail, Inc. v. Baldwin

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 2012-06-27T00:00:00-07:00

Citation: 97 So. 3d 846, 2012 WL 2402152, 2012 Fla. App. LEXIS 10389

Snippet: certification under sections 501.201, 501.976(9), and 501.976(11), Florida Statutes (2008), and to serve…sections 501.201 and 501.976(9), but granted certification under section 501.976(11) as follows: All individuals…or deceptive acts or practices, whereas section 501.976 specifically addresses unfair or deceptive acts…acts or practices involving vehicles. Section 501.976, titled “Actionable, unfair, or deceptive acts or …appeals the order certifying the class under section 501.976(11); Ms. Baldwin has not appealed the denial of

SDS Autos, Inc. v. Chrzanowski

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 2007-11-25T23:53:00-08:00

Citation: 976 So. 2d 600

Snippet: nature of the fee as required by sections 501.976(11) and 501.976(18), Florida Statutes (2005), and seek,…vehicle dealer's alleged violation of section 501.976, Florida Statutes (2005), from seeking remedies…claims against motor vehicle dealers under section 501.976, Florida Statutes (2005), impermissibly frustrates…motor vehicle dealer's violation of section 501.976, Florida Statutes (2005), may recover only such… of the individual's actual damages. See § 501.976, Fla. Stat. (2005) ("In any civil litigation