As Floridians struggled to recover from eight hurricanes over the past two years, they faced a new threat from merchants making a fast buck. Prices of gasoline, hotel rooms and even bottled water shot up, prompting consumers to flood the state with more than 13,000 complaints of price gouging.

They called a toll-free number activated by Attorney General Charlie Crist, who promised to bring the scam artists to justice. But Crist's office found that fewer than one of every 100 complaints warranted a full investigation. Crist's army of attorneys launched formal investigations in 81 cases.

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