AAA: Florida gas prices fall seven cents last week

While Halloween is traditionally a time for filling bags with candy, drivers may also want to fill their gas tank to take advantage of current prices at the pump.”

Mark Jenkins, AAA

Florida gas prices are poised for an abrupt increase this week when the state gas tax holiday expires on November 1st. The sales tax holiday called for a 25-cent discount at the pump throughout October. So it stands to reason that drivers will see a 25-cent jump at the pump when the gas tax is reinstated on Tuesday.

"While Halloween is traditionally a time for filling bags with candy, drivers may also want to fill their gas tank to take advantage of current prices at the pump," said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA - The Auto Club Group. "Pump prices will likely rise 25 cents overnight when the state gas tax expires on Tuesday morning."

When the state sales tax holiday was implemented on October 1, gas prices declined a total of 22 cents within a couple of days, falling from $3.39 to $3.17 per gallon. Unfortunately for drivers, that discount was short-lived. During the first week of October, OPEC announced plans to cut its oil production rate, which sparked a 17% oil price hike, raising the cost of producing gasoline. This ultimately dragged Florida gas prices back to where they were before the state's gas tax holiday.

Gas prices for the month of October averaged $3.33 per gallon. That's about 6 cents less than what the price was on September 30th.

Florida gas prices declined 7 cents last week. On Sunday, the state average price for gasoline averaged $3.29 per gallon.

Apopka Gas Prices

From gasbuddy.com

Regional Prices

• Most expensive metro markets – West Palm Beach-Boca Raton ($3.47), Gainesville ($3.40), Naples ($3.38)
• Least expensive metro markets – Pensacola ($3.14), Crestview-Fort Walton Beach ($3.14), Panama City ($3.21)

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 reduces 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 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 the 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	$3.761	$3.761	$3.795	$3.797	$3.401
Florida	$3.293	$3.299	$3.358	$3.294	$3.311
Georgia	$3.159	$3.165	$3.209	$3.180	$3.249
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.