Florida gas prices back below $3 per gallon, though barely

Image via Drew Dixon.

Three-dollar gas prices settled in for Florida this Summer, and while the average price of a gallon of gasoline eased a bit in the past week, Floridians still are finding gas costing an average of $2.98 Monday.

That’s according to AAA — The Auto Club Group, whose weekly gasoline price report Monday morning showed slight improvement for the second consecutive week after the average cost of a gallon of gasoline peaked in early August. Gas prices dropped 3 cents last week, after declining by a penny the week before.

Nonetheless, Florida’s average gas prices have flirted with or exceeded $3 since June, a high threshold compared with the past several years.

More relief — a significant price drop — might be on the way, however.

AAA noted that the price of U.S. crude oil dropped nearly 10% last week, settling $6 per barrel less than the week before. What’s more, gasoline futures dropped 24 cents. Wholesale gasoline prices haven’t been this low since April when the average price at the pump was below $2.80 per gallon.

“The delta strain of COVID-19 continues to drive fuel prices,” Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA — The Auto Club Group, said in a news release. “The busy summer driving season ends in September, and market watchers are worried that COVID-19 will cause demand to drop more dramatically than it has in previous years. If crude oil and gasoline futures hold at current levels, prices at the pump could drop more than 20 cents per gallon in the weeks to come.”

The state average is 3 cents less than a week ago, the same price as last month, 90 cents more than a year ago, and 59 cents more than this time in 2019.

Florida’s least expensive gasoline Monday was found in Punta Gorda, where driers were paying $2.86 per gallon. In Ocala, gasoline averaged $2.91 per gallon; Orlando, Naples, and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, $2.92; Jacksonville, $2.93; Sarasota, $2.96; and Gainesville, $3.00

The most expensive gasoline in Florida was found in West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, where prices averaged $3.14 per gallon. In Panama City, it cost $3.10; Tallahassee $3.06; Fort Lauderdale, $3.03; and Miami and Pensacola, $3.01.