• Florida has the largest percentage of senior citizens of U.S.state. According to the National Academy on an Ageing [sic] Society, "A large proportion of people with hearing loss--43 percent--are 65 years of age or older. By comparison, only 12 percent of the general population is 65 years of age or older. People age 65 and older are more likely than any other age group to have hearing loss." With this large constituency, Florida law makers are very proactive regarding hearing-related health and welfare legislation.
  
  

Mail Order Sales

• Florida's statutes are clear on the sale of hearing aids through the mail. According to the 2010 Florida Statutes, Chapter 484.054 "Sale or distribution of hearing aids through mail; penalty. -- It is unlawful for any person to sell or distribute hearing aids through the mail to the ultimate consumer. Any violation of this section constitutes a misdemeanor of the second degree."
  
  

Attempt to Circumvent

• At the end of Florida's 2008 legislative session, an amendment was introduced to weaken the law. The amendment established a separate class of hearing aids that would be exempt from the law. According to Fred Rahe, vice president professional issues at the Florida Academy of Audiology, the bill "... was a veiled attempt to allow for the sale of mail order and over the counter hearing aids." The amendment was not passed.
  
  

Related Activities

• There are several other illegal activities in Florida regarding the sale of hearing aids. Soliciting in residential areas house to house in an attempt to sell hearing aids is illegal. Soliciting by telephone is also illegal. Violation of these laws can lead to suspension of the guilty person's license.
  
  

Penalties

• Anyone found guilty of the direct mail offense risks a $500. fine for each offense. The guilty person will also be responsible for court costs. Mailing out 20 hearing aids could cost the perpetrator $10,000.