PORT EVERGLADES, Fla. – Gas prices rose across most of the state of Florida last week following historic flooding in South Florida that led to numerous gas terminals being out of operation at Port Everglades, AAA reported Monday.
The flooding led to the terminals’ pumps being inundated with water, so while there wasn’t a gasoline shortage, there was a major distribution issue, requiring the reallocation of fuel supplies from other regions.
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“The problem began more than a week ago when flooding prevented fuel trucks from accessing the gasoline terminals at Port Everglades,” AAA reported in a news release. “This was a major problem, since that port is a hub for the majority of gasoline for filling stations in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach. To offset the shortage, gasoline was brought in from other states and driven down from hubs in Tampa, Orlando, Port Canaveral, and Jacksonville.”
All gas terminals at Port Everglades were reopened by Friday evening, but gas prices rose double digits in these metro areas, “likely due to having less supply than anticipated,” according to AAA.
The national average price for gasoline remained unchanged from last week while Florida’s state average jumped 15 cents per gallon.
On Friday, the state average hit $3.72 per gallon, which was a new 2023 high and the most expensive daily average price since August 2022.
“There is reason to be optimistic that gas prices won’t hang around these highs for long,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA - The Auto Club Group. “Oil prices dropped to a 3-week low and gas prices began drifting lower through the weekend. There’s hope that the upward pressure on pump prices will begin to ease as supplies stabilize around the state.”
The most expensive metro markets are currently West Palm Beach-Boca Raton ($3.88), Port St. Lucie ($3.77), and Naples ($3.77). The least expensive metro markets are Crestview-Fort Walton Beach ($3.38), Pensacola ($3.39), and Panama City ($3.40).