Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles Bronson announced that investigators from his department have begun a county-wide sweep of motor vehicle repair shops in Duval County to make sure they are registered with the state and are complying with regulations governing estimates and invoices.
The proactive inspections, which began Monday, are designed to enhance the consumer protections offered by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to Florida residents.
“It is important that these businesses are properly registered, using the correct forms and providing the safeguards to consumers that the laws require,” said Bronson. “Repair shops that fail to comply with those requirements are not treating consumers fairly and enjoy a competitive advantage over those that follow the rules.”
The blitz is expected to continue for two weeks and involve visits to each of the 948 registered motor vehicle repair shops in the county, as well as visits to any unregistered businesses that investigators detect during their sweep.
Under Florida law, motor vehicle repair shops are required to be registered with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and those that do not face initial fines of up to $1,000.
The sweep will be the second time the department has visited Duval County, the first being in 1999. In the past several months, investigators visited Leon, Manatee, Pinellas, Pasco and Palm Beach counties in a similar effort.
Bronson explained the importance of these types of entities being registered, as authorities cannot track problems or perform audits at such facilities if the department is unaware of their existence.
By registering, officials can keep tabs on these businesses and assist consumers in instances where they may have been treated unfairly or not provided services that were paid for.
The Commissioner encourages all consumers who have a question or complaint against these types of businesses to call his department’s toll-free hotline at 1-800-HELPFLA (1-800-435-7352) or visit the Division of Consumer Services Web site at www.800helpfla.com.