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Florida Statute 570.544 | Lawyer Caselaw & Research
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F.S. 570.544 Case Law from Google Scholar Google Search for Amendments to 570.544

The 2024 Florida Statutes

Title XXXV
AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE, AND ANIMAL INDUSTRY
Chapter 570
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES
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F.S. 570.544
570.544 Division of Consumer Services; director; powers; processing of complaints; records.—
(1) The director of the Division of Consumer Services shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the commissioner.
(2) The director shall supervise, direct, and coordinate the activities of the division and shall, under the direction of the department, enforce the provisions of ss. 604.15-604.34 and chapters 472, 496, 501, 507, 525, 526, 527, 531, 539, 559, 616, and 849.
(3) The Division of Consumer Services may:
(a) Conduct studies and make analyses of matters affecting the interests of consumers.
(b) Study the operation of laws for consumer protection.
(c) Advise and make recommendations to the various state agencies concerned with matters affecting consumers.
(d) Assist, advise, and cooperate with local, state, or federal agencies and officials in order to promote the interests of consumers.
(e) Make use of the testing and laboratory facilities of the department for the detection of consumer fraud.
(f) Report to the appropriate law enforcement officers any information concerning violation of consumer protection laws.
(g) Assist, develop, and conduct programs of consumer education and consumer information through publications and other informational and educational material prepared for dissemination to the public, in order to increase the competence of consumers.
(h) Organize and hold conferences on problems affecting consumers.
(i) Recommend programs to encourage business and industry to maintain high standards of honesty, fair business practices, and public responsibility in the production, promotion, and sale of consumer goods and services.
(4) In addition to the powers, duties, and responsibilities authorized by this or any other chapter, the Division of Consumer Services shall serve as a clearinghouse for matters relating to consumer protection, consumer information, and consumer services generally. It shall receive complaints and grievances from consumers and promptly transmit them to the agency most directly concerned in order that the complaint or grievance may be expeditiously handled in the best interests of the complaining consumer. If no agency exists, the Division of Consumer Services shall seek a settlement of the complaint using formal or informal methods of mediation and conciliation and may seek any other resolution of the matter in accordance with its jurisdiction.
(5) If any complaint received by the Division of Consumer Services concerns matters that involve concurrent jurisdiction in more than one agency, duplicate copies of the complaint shall be referred to those offices deemed to have concurrent jurisdiction.
(6)(a) Any agency, office, bureau, division, or board of state government receiving a complaint that deals with consumer fraud or consumer protection and that is not within the jurisdiction of the receiving agency, office, bureau, division, or board originally receiving it, shall immediately refer the complaint to the Division of Consumer Services.
(b) Upon receipt of such a complaint, the Division of Consumer Services shall make a determination of the proper jurisdiction to which the complaint relates and shall immediately refer the complaint to the agency, office, bureau, division, or board that does have the proper regulatory or enforcement authority to deal with it.
(7) The office or agency to which a complaint has been referred shall within 30 days acknowledge receipt of the complaint. If an office or agency receiving a complaint determines that the matter presents a prima facie case for criminal prosecution or if the complaint cannot be settled at the administrative level, the complaint together with all supporting evidence shall be transmitted to the Department of Legal Affairs or other appropriate enforcement agency with a recommendation for civil or criminal action warranted by the evidence.
(8) The records of the Division of Consumer Services are public records. However, customer lists, customer names, and trade secrets are confidential and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1). Disclosure necessary to enforcement procedures does not violate this prohibition.
(9) The Division of Consumer Services shall maintain records and compile summaries and analyses of consumer complaints and their eventual disposition, which data may serve as a basis for recommendations to the Legislature and to state regulatory agencies.
History.—s. 1, ch. 67-342; ss. 11, 14, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 2, ch. 73-124; s. 7, ch. 77-108; ss. 1, 2, ch. 78-16; s. 7, ch. 78-179; s. 1, ch. 79-37; s. 2, ch. 81-55; s. 3, ch. 89-4; s. 3, ch. 90-323; s. 1, ch. 91-114; s. 1, ch. 92-62; s. 40, ch. 92-291; s. 33, ch. 93-169; s. 349, ch. 96-406; s. 1183, ch. 97-103; s. 50, ch. 2001-279; ss. 60, 61, ch. 2003-399; s. 11, ch. 2006-165; s. 42, ch. 2012-67; s. 12, ch. 2016-61.
Note.—Former s. 570.283.

F.S. 570.544 on Google Scholar

F.S. 570.544 on Casetext

Amendments to 570.544


Arrestable Offenses / Crimes under Fla. Stat. 570.544
Level: Degree
Misdemeanor/Felony: First/Second/Third

Current data shows no reason an arrest or criminal charge should have occurred directly under Florida Statute 570.544.

Annotations, Discussions, Cases:

Cases Citing Statute 570.544

Total Results: 4

State, Dept. of Agriculture v. Quick Cash of Tallahasee, Inc.

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 1992-12-03T23:53:00-08:00

Citation: 609 So. 2d 735

Snippet: was necessary to read section 570.544(11) together with section 570.544(10), which reads: If the [D]ivision…501 violations in section 570.544(10), but did not do so in section 570.544(11), is strong evidence that…The Division has authority pursuant to [s]ection 570.544(11), Florida Statutes (Supp. 1990), to commence…action," the Division relied upon section 570.544(11), Florida Statutes (Supp. 1990). That section… Therefore, according to the Division, section 570.544(11) clearly conferred upon it the authority to

Quick Cash v. STATE, DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE

Court: Fla. Dist. Ct. App. | Date Filed: 1992-08-28T00:53:00-07:00

Citation: 605 So. 2d 898

Snippet: action to enjoin these activities under section 570.544(11), Florida Statutes (1991). We answer that question…issues is located in two subsections of section 570.544, Florida Statutes (1991). Subsection 10 states:…the Division would have authority under section 570.544(11), Florida Statutes (1991), to obtain an injunction…to review both the authority granted in section 570.544(10) and (11), Florida Statutes (1991), and its … argued by Quick Cash, we suspect that section 570.544(11) was intended as emergency authority to the

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Court: Fla. Att'y Gen. | Date Filed: 1992-05-22T00:53:00-07:00

Snippet: , of dairy industry business confidential); s. 570.544(8), F.S. (information pertaining to consumer fraud

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Court: Fla. Att'y Gen. | Date Filed: 1992-05-13T00:53:00-07:00

Snippet: Records Law pursuant to s. 407.23, F.S., and s. 570.544(8), F.S.? SUMMARY: Section 407.23, F.S., exempts…practices, such records are confidential. Further, s. 570.544(8), F.S., provides that information relating to…from s. 119.07(1), F.S. You also ask whether s. 570.544(8), F.S., provides an exemption from the Public…Public Records Law. However, I would note that s. 570.544(8), F.S., was amended by Ch. 92-62, Laws of Florida…exempt from the Public Records Law. In addition, s. 570.544(8), F.S., exempts from s. 119.07(1), F.S., information