Consumer Protection Law.

• Author: Rothburd, Craig E.
• Position: Annual Reports of Committees of the Florida Bar: 2018-2019

The Consumer Protection Law Committee educates consumers and Bar members about consumer protection laws and issues, as well as provides expert resources to attorneys, judges, and lawmakers. The committee has been extremely active since its last report in 2018.

* Bench Manual--The Publications Committee of the Florida Court Education Council approved use of the Florida Bar Consumer Protection Law Committee bench book last year. The project had been in the works for several years. Going forward, the plan is to have the manual printed and distributed to the bench (currently, it is only posted online on the court system's intranet). This committee will continue to review the manual and begin the process to update existing chapters and add new ones as needed. Special thanks go to Michael Ziegler, the past subcommittee chairperson who brought this project to fruition, and to the many members who have contributed this year and in previous years, as well. They are Barry Balmuth, Laura Boeckman, Delton Chen, Mary Ann Etzler, Steven Fahlgren, Shaunda Hill, Jared Lee, Lesly Longa, Patrice Malloy, Craig Rothburd, Taras Rudnitsky, Mark Schweikert, Elizabeth Star, Edrei Swanson, Alice Vickers, Dennis Wall, David Weintraub, and Vicki Butler.

The manual is posted on the intranet of the Office of the State Courts Administrator. It covers:

* Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act;

* Auto Sales and Finance;

* Lemon Law;

* Credit Card Actions;

* Residential Evictions;

* Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act;

* Homeowner's and Condo Association Issues; and

* Home Solicitation Sales.

* CLE for Annual Convention--The committee is planning a full-day seminar, "Protecting Consumers Who Have unConventional Needs with Conventional Strategies: Making Florida Safe for Military and Elderly Consumers" in conjunction with the Elder Law Section. The committee has lined up 16 presenters (including three judges, representatives from the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Florida Attorney General's Office and the JAG Corps) at the annual convention in Boca Raton. The seminar will focus on transactions and lending involving the military and the elderly, investigations and enforcement involving the military and the elderly, protecting against the financial exploitation of vulnerable adults and the Veterans' Courts and U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. The seminar will be held on Saturday, June 29.

* Legislative Outreach--The committee tracked eight bills of...