Florida gas prices drop for second consecutive week

Image via Drew Dixon.

Florida saw another dip in the price of gasoline across the state in the past week, according to AAA Florida Auto Club data released Monday.

Gas prices dropped 3 cents per gallon on average last week in Florida, coming in at $2.85 per gallon. Over the past two weeks prices have dropped 6-cents.

The price of gas in Florida has been on a steady decline since prices reached this year’s peak at $2.91 per gallon on March 21. The recent drop in prices bucks an upward trend that saw prices rising since the beginning of 2021 based on optimism about the coronavirus vaccine, reduced oil production in the Middle East and reductions in U.S. production due to a winter storm that blasted the South in February.

“Florida drivers are getting a welcome break from rising prices at the pump,” said Mark Jenkins, AAA Florida spokesperson. “Prices are declining now that refineries have mostly recovered from the power outages in mid-February, which resulted in reduced gasoline supplies.

“Crude oil prices also dropped in recent weeks, due to global concerns about rising cases of COVID-19 and lockdowns in Europe. Since retail prices have not yet fully adjusted to the oil and gasoline futures price drops, drivers should see pump prices slip even lower this week,” Jenkins said.

Gas prices are about $1 more than they were a year ago in early April. But that was when fuel costs were hitting recent historic lows as the COVID-19 pandemic gripped Florida and most of the world. The current gas prices in Florida are only 5 cents more than the 2019 high of $2.80 per gallon.

South Florida once again recorded the most expensive prices for gas in the state with West Palm Beach at $2.98 per gallon followed by Miami at $2.91 and Fort Lauderdale at $2.90.

Punta Gorda had the least expensive gas in the past week at $2.76 followed by The Villages and Ocala at $2.78.

Florida’s average price for gas is lower than the national average, which stands at $2.87 per gallon.