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.
Niceville is a city in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States, located close to Eglin Air Force Base. It was previously named Boggy Bayou, but the name was changed to attract more tourists. The Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival is still held annually. The population was 11,684 at the 2000 census. The 2005 population estimate for Niceville, Florida is 12,582. Mayor Randall Wise has held the post since 1971. Niceville is part of the Fort Walton Beach–Crestview–Destin Metropolitan Statistical Area.