Can’t find gas while evacuating? Jimmy Patronis blames Columbus Day Weekend

It’s not just a “distribution problem” dogging hurricane-harried evacuees trying to escape Milton’s path.

It’s also the luck of the calendar, with people descending on the state as normal to celebrate colonialism.

During a Wednesday morning interview on “Fox and Friends,” CFO Jimmy Patronis noted that more people are in the Sunshine State than normally because they are on vacation from elsewhere.

“You’ve got to remember. This is Columbus Day weekend. This is typically a weekend holiday where the Southeast United States is descending on central Florida for the holidays in order to enjoy it. So there’s more people that had days of vacation plans. So we do have extra people in the state this time because school is out,” Patronis said.

It’s unclear why these revelers would have ignored weather forecasts and stuck around for the historic destruction ahead.

For Columbus Day celebrants and those somewhat more agnostic on the explorer’s legacy, GasBuddy offers tips as to where they might find gas.

The Governor’s Office also notes “Commissioner Wilton Simpson has issued an emergency order suspending requirements related to the distribution, delivery, storage, and sale of liquid fuels — such as gasoline and diesel — to assist with efforts to ensure adequate distribution and supply of fuel.”

The Florida Highway Patrol, per Gov. Ron DeSantis, has been escorting fuel trucks since “lines at gas stations have been long, gas stations are running out quicker than they otherwise would.”

Time is running out, though, for both fuel distribution and evacuation.

Milton is expected to make landfall Wednesday somewhere between the Tampa metropolitan area to the north and Sarasota to the south, before cutting a swath across central Florida before exiting the east coast.

Expect Gov. DeSantis to address fuel further during a 9:30 a.m. storm briefing in Tallahassee.

What are you seeing in gas lines? Let us know in comments or on social media.