AAA: Florida gas prices dropped 8 cents last week

Florida gas prices are at their lowest level since late January. The recent dip was driven by falling oil prices. Unfortunately, that downward trend ended last week, and oil prices are back up, which means gas prices are likely to get more expensive soon.”

Mark Jenkins, AAA

Florida gas prices declined 8 cents per gallon last week. On Sunday, the state average was $3.22 per gallon. Visit AAA.com/GasPrices to view daily gas price averages. 

The state average has declined 12 cents within the past 10 days. It's also 36 cents less than the highest price of this year.

"Florida gas prices are at their lowest level since late January," said Mark Jenkins, Public Relations Manager for AAA - The Auto Club Group. "The recent dip was driven by falling oil prices. Unfortunately, that downward trend ended last week, and oil prices are back up, which means gas prices are likely to get more expensive soon."

The U.S. price of oil jumped 4% last week, rising more than $3 a barrel to settle at $79.68/b. That's the highest daily closing price in more than two weeks. Meanwhile, gasoline futures rose an eye-popping 40 cents per gallon. Those gains have not hit the wholesale market, which is up 14 cents from last week, but it's clear that higher prices are on the way.

"It's very common to see gas prices rise this time of year," Jenkins continued. "Gasoline demand in Florida often reaches its highest point of the year, during March. That's because warming temperatures entice Floridians, winter residents, and spring breakers to all travel Florida roads. In addition, this is the time of year when oil refineries conduct seasonal maintenance and begin producing summer gasoline, which is more expensive to produce than winter fuel."

Apopka Gas Prices

From gasbuddy.com

Regional Prices

• Most expensive metro markets – West Palm Beach-Boca Raton ($3.48), Miami ($3.33), Fort Lauderdale ($3.32)
• Least expensive metro markets – Crestview-Fort Walton Beach ($3.07), Panama City ($3.11), Orlando ($3.13)

Ways to Save on Gasoline

• Combine errands to limit driving time.
• Shop around for the best gas prices in your community. 
• Pay with cash. Some retailers charge extra per gallon for customers who pay with a credit card.
• Remove excess weight in your vehicle. Every 100 pounds taken out of the vehicle improves fuel economy by 1-2 percent.
• Drive conservatively. Aggressive acceleration and speeding reduce fuel economy.

AAA Resources for Drivers

• Enroll in savings programs. AAA Members who enroll in Shell's Fuel Rewards program can save 30 cents per gallon on their first fill-up and 5 cents per gallon for each additional trip to the pump. Click here for more information.
• Get a tune-up. Ensure your vehicle is properly maintained to optimize its fuel economy. Visit AAA.com/AutoRepair to find a certified repair shop.
• Find the lowest gas prices in your area by using the free AAA mobile app.
• Determine anticipated fuel costs for your trip by using AAA's Gas Cost Calculator.

Find Florida Gas Prices

• Daily gas price averages can be found at Gasprices.aaa.com 
• State and metro averages can be found here

	Sunday	Saturday	Week Ago	Month Ago	One Year Ago
National	$3.402	$3.399	$3.368	$3.475	$3.922
Florida	$3.221	$3.229	$3.299	$3.496	$3.810
Georgia	$3.144	$3.143	$3.159	$3.342	$3.776
Click here to view current gasoline price averages

Gas Price Survey Methodology
AAA updates fuel price averages daily at www.GasPrices.AAA.com. Every day up to 130,000 stations are surveyed based on credit card swipes and direct feeds in cooperation with the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) and Wright Express for unmatched statistical reliability. All average retail prices in this report are for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline.