AAA: Florida Gas Prices Dip Slightly, But Not Much
MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Florida gas prices are slightly lower than a week ago. The state average price for gasoline is $2.83 per gallon. That's one cent less than this time last week.
"Gas prices have held relatively steady through the first half of April," said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA - The Auto Club Group. "However, some upward pressure appears to be moving back into the market, which could affect prices at the pump. Oil prices jumped 6% last week, in hopes that demand will continue to grow due to increased COVID-19 vaccinations, lower jobless claims in the U.S. and rising consumer sentiment."
The price of U.S. crude oil bounced back up to $63 per barrel this week, after trading at around $59/b the week before. The highest daily price for U.S. crude oil this year has been $66.09/b.
The state average price for gasoline remains about 8 cents less than the highest price so far this year ($2.91). Sunday's price is 5 cents more than what drivers paid this time two years ago. This time in 2020, gas prices averaged $1.82 per gallon because the pandemic severely deteriorated driving demand.
Although U.S. gasoline demand has shown significant improvement compared to last year, it remains below pre-pandemic levels. The latest demand figures from the EIA shows a 76% improvement from this time last year. However, current demand numbers are 5% below this same time in 2019.
Regional Prices
- Most expensive metro markets – West Palm Beach-Boca Raton ($2.96), Tallahassee ($2.90), Panama City ($2.90)
- Least expensive metro markets – Punta Gorda ($2.75), Jacksonville ($2.76), Orlando ($2.77)