Jesse Scheckner
Gas prices in Florida are on something of a rollercoaster. But the news is good this week, with prices down 15 cents per gallon over last week, according to AAA — The Auto Club Group.
Pump prices fell from $3.22 per gallon last week to $3.07 per gallon Sunday, following a downward slide in crude oil prices after winter storms receded.
“Earlier this month, oil prices rose to multi-month highs due to frigid temps in the southern U.S. and sanctions on Russian crude,” AAA spokesperson Mark Jenkins said in a statement.
“Now, oil prices are back down to where they were to start the year, allowing gas prices to fall too.”
The price of gas this year, so far, has swung from a low of $3.06 per gallon on Jan. 8 to a high of $3.23 per gallon on Jan. 16. The price for U.S. crude, meanwhile, has ranged from $72 per barrel to $78 per barrel.
The per-barrel price settled at $72.53 on Friday.
The most expensive metropolitan markets in Florida for gas are the West Palm Beach-Boca Raton area and Naples, where motorists paid $3.20 per gallon Sunday, followed by the Lakeland-Winter Haven area ($3.15).
The cheapest gas is in Panama City ($2.87), followed by Pensacola ($2.92) and Punta Gorda ($2.97).
Nationally, the priciest state is Hawaii, where drivers and motorcyclists are shelling out $4.54 per gallon, followed by California ($4.47) and Washington ($3.93).
The best states to be petroleum-dependent are Mississippi ($2.68), Oklahoma ($2.69) and Texas ($2.71).
