Drew Dixon
Gasoline prices across the Sunshine State took another dip in the past week falling about 2 cents per gallon on average, according to Florida AAA Auto Club data released Monday.
The average price for a gallon of gas was about $2.07, with many locales in Florida charging less than $2 per gallon. Even with two tropical systems approaching the Gulf of Mexico, prices remained on a downward trend.
Hurricane Marco and Tropical Storm Laura are both projected to strike the Gulf Coast of the United States within the next few days where the oil refining operations for half the United States are located.
“The potential for a price hike is always there when a hurricane threatens the gulf coast refinery region,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman for Florida AAA. “So far, oil and gasoline futures prices have remained low, likely because Marco and Laura are not forecast to reach major hurricane status. Either way, incremental increases are possible if these storms cause damage resulting in long-term impacts to oil rigs, refineries or the fuel supply chain as a whole.”
Gas prices started to rebound in early summer after radical declines in March and April due to the coronavirus outbreak. But the cost of the fuel began to stall and fluctuate in July and into August.
The past three weeks have seen a steady decline. The price for a gallon of gas is 31 cents less than this time in 2019 and 8 cents lower than the highest price this summer which has not seen the usual jump in vacation travel during summer months due to the pandemic.
The highest price for an average gallon of gas the past week was found in West Palm Beach at $2.20 followed by Tallahassee and Gainesville, both at $2.18.
The lowest price was found in Punta Gorda at $1.96 per gallon followed by Orlando at $2.01 and Tampa at $2.02.
Florida’s average price for a gallon of gas is still well below the national average cost in the past week which was $2.18.
