Attorney's Note

Under the Florida Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
misdemeanor of the first degreeup to 1 yearup to $1,000
For details, see Fla. Stat. § 775.082(4)(a)

Terms Used In Florida Statutes 403.7193

  • Department: means the Department of Environmental Protection or any successor agency performing a like function. See Florida Statutes 403.703
  • Person: means any and all persons, natural or artificial, including any individual, firm, or association; any municipal or private corporation organized or existing under the laws of this state or any other state; any county of this state; and any governmental agency of this state or the Federal Government. See Florida Statutes 403.703
  • Recycling: means any process by which solid waste, or materials that would otherwise become solid waste, are collected, separated, or processed and reused or returned to use in the form of raw materials or intermediate or final products. See Florida Statutes 403.703

(1) Any person who represents in advertising or on the label or container of a consumer product that the consumer product that the person manufactures or distributes is not harmful to, or is beneficial to, the environment through the use of such terms as “environmentally friendly,” “ecologically sound,” “environmentally safe,” “recyclable,” “recycled,” “biodegradable,” “photodegradable,” “ozone friendly,” or any other like term must maintain records documenting and supporting the validity of such representation. The Department of Legal Affairs may request copies of those records at any time. For purposes of this section, a wholesaler or retailer who does not initiate a representation by advertising or by placing the representation on a package has not made the representation. This section does not apply to instructions for recycling on the label or container of a product.
(2) Any person who makes false representations regarding the environment about any consumer product that the person manufactures or distributes commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable by a fine as provided in s. 775.083.