Staff Reports
A new year brings a new annual retrospective on pump prices, and 2024 was generally better for the pocketbooks of Sunshine State motorists than the year prior, according to AAA — The Auto Club Group.
On average, Florida drivers paid slightly less in 2024 than in 2023. The price of gas averaged $3.39 per gallon last year. In 2023, the average per-gallon price was $3.41.
Gas prices in Florida didn’t reach as high a peak in 2024 as they did in 2023. The highest daily average price last year was $3.64 per gallon in May. In 2023, the highest daily average was $3.85 per gallon in August.
But 2024 prices also didn’t go as low. The cheapest daily average last year was $2.99 in December. In 2023, the lowest price point was $2.85 per gallon, also in December.
Florida motorists are starting 2025 by paying a bit more for gas than they did this time last year. On Sunday, the state average was $3.11 per gallon — 4 cents more than the same day in 2024.
“Although the daily average price is slightly more expensive, Florida gas prices remain within the same range they’ve been in for the past four months,” AAA spokesperson Mark Jenkins said in a prepared statement.
AAA cited lower oil prices last year as key factors in discounts at the pump. The price of U.S. crude in 2024 averaged $75.79 per barrel in 2024, nearly $2 less than in the year before.
Now crude prices are ticking up. Friday’s closing per-barrel price of $73.96 was the highest since mid-October.
“Last week’s oil price gains were reportedly driven by cold weather in the U.S. and in Europe, which leads to increased demand for heating oil,” an AAA news release said. “Additionally, there’s renewed optimism in the global market about the Chinese economy. China is the world’s largest oil importer. Last year, concerns about China’s economy helped suppress oil prices, due to expectations of lower fuel demand.”
As usual, the most expensive metropolitan market for Florida motorists was the West Palm Beach-Boca Raton area, where pump prices averaged $3.25 per gallon Sunday. Naples ($3.19) and Homosassa Springs ($3.17) were the second- and third-most expensive, respectively.
Meanwhile, the priciest gas was in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach area, where drivers and motorcyclists were shelling $2.74 per gallon on average, followed by Pensacola ($2.82) and Panama City ($2.82).
Nationally, the most expensive gas was in Hawaii, where pump prices averaged $4.55 per gallon on Monday morning, followed by California ($4.38) and Washington ($3.91).
The most affordable gas was in Oklahoma ($2.56), Mississippi ($2.61) and Texas ($2.66).
