Consumer protection refers to the laws designed to aid retail consumers of goods and services that have been improperly manufactured, delivered, performed, handled, or described. Such laws provide the retail consumer with additional protections and remedies not generally provided to merchants and others who engage in business transactions, on the premise that the consumers do not enjoy a sufficient bargaining position with respect to the businessmen with whom they deal and therefore should not be strictly limited by the legal rules that govern recovery for damages among businessmen. The overarching goal is to protect individuals and the interest of the public in general from unfair and misleading activity in business and commerce (such as false advertising and deceptive trade practices) and scams perpetrated by criminals (such as identity theft and pyramid schemes) that harm a substantial number of consumers.
Milton (formerly known as Scratch Ankle, for its propensity to grow briars, or Milltown, because Milton had the largest mill around) is a city in Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States. The city was incorporated in 1844 and is home to Naval Air Station Whiting Field. The population was 7,045 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 8,044 . It is the county seat of Santa Rosa County. It was also called "Scottman's Anchorage" for the many lumber barges that traversed the Blackwater River - thus lending the further support of the nickname "Scratch Ankle" (Scottsman's Anchorage - Scratch Ankle). Milton is part of the Pensacola–Ferry Pass–Brent Metropolitan Statistical Area.