Florida gas prices dip again, lowest daily average since January
MIAMI - Florida drivers continue to see good news at the pump.
Statewide, declined four cents per gallon last week. Drivers are now paying an average price of $3.38 per gallon, which is the lowest daily average since January.
"There's actually downward pressure on pump prices, despite the forecast that a hurricane would approach Florida this week," said AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins. "Gasoline and oil futures prices plunged 7% last week, to 8-month lows on concerns that aggressive interest rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve could trigger an economic recession."
Jenkins added that Hurricane Ian is not projected to impact the refineries in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, so it's unlikely that the storm itself or the resulting demand, would cause pump prices to spike.
In the coming days, it's possible that gas stations will temporarily run out of fuel, due to an influx in demand from evacuees or people topping off their tanks and filling spare gas cans. However, it's also important for drivers to remember that these outages are temporary.
Florida's gasoline is primarily provided by refineries in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. That gasoline sails into Florida's ports, then is picked up by tanker trucks and delivered to area gas stations. Fuel deliveries should continue until the weather conditions make it unsafe to do so.
Once the storm passes and the ports reopen, shipments of gasoline will begin flowing into the state again. Gasoline can also be driven over from surrounding counties or states that are not impacted by the storm.
"The bottom line is, don't panic about gasoline supplies, just take what you need," Jenkins continued. "The state makes it a priority to keep gasoline shipments going as long as it's safe to do so. Once the storm passes, shipments will resume as soon as possible."
Regional Prices
Most expensive metro markets - West Palm Beach-Boca Raton ($3.57), Tallahassee ($3.47), Gainesville ($3.45)
Least expensive metro markets - Pensacola ($3.17), Crestview-Fort Myers ($3.18), Panama City ($3.26)
Florida Gas Price Overview
Sunday's Avg. Price - $3.38 per gallon
Cost for a Full Tank - About $51 (15 gallons)
2022 High - $4.89 per gallon (6/13/22)
2021 High - $3.36 per gallon (Nov. 2021)
All-Time Record High - $4.89 per gallon (6/13/22)
