Florida gas prices climb slightly as Christmas nears

Gas prices in Florida are rising a tad higher as Christmas gets closer.

Motorists in the Sunshine State are paying an average of $3.13 per gallon Monday, 1 cent more than a week ago, according to AAA — The Auto Club Group.

That’s still in the same range that fuel prices in Florida have been in since early September, AAA spokesperson Mark Jenkins said in a statement.

“During the past three months, the state average has bounced between $2.99 (per gallon) and $3.20 (per gallon),” he said.

“Oil prices have remained low during that time, which has prevented any significant jump at the pump.”

Florida’s per-gallon average gas price started at $3.10 last week, then dropped to $3.03 per gallon on Friday before rebounding to $3.12 on Sunday.

December gas prices have averaged $3.07 per gallon so far. That’s 2 cents lower than the November monthly average and 4 cents cheaper than the average October price.

As usual, the most affordable metropolitan market for Sunshine State motorists was the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach area, where the average price Monday was $2.72 per gallon. Panama City ($2.75) and Pensacola ($2.84) were second- and third-cheapest, respectively.

The most expensive, again, was the West Palm Beach-Boca Raton area, where drivers and motorcyclists were shelling out $3.27 per gallon, followed by Naples ($3.19) and Homosassa Springs ($3.19).

Hawaiians are paying the most for gas. The average price per gallon in the Aloha State was $4.54 — $1.52 more than the national average, followed by California ($4.33) and Washington ($3.93).

The states with the best deals were Oklahoma ($2.50), Texas ($2.56) and Mississippi ($2.58).