There may be a surge in people rushing to the pumps to top off their gas tanks and fill up on fuel for generators ahead of Idalia, which is projected to reach Florida by Wednesday.
That run-up in demand can often times leave some gas stations without fuel, but AAA Auto Club spokesman Mark Jenkins said the good news is: it's temporary.
"As long as the Tampa Port remains open then gasoline will continue sailing into the region. And deliveries will be made until the actual storm itself is passing through, and then that's considered to be unsafe to transport fuel, and most people wouldn't be on the road at that time anyway,” he said. “Then once things were considered to be safe, then deliveries would resume again."
Jenkins warned against taking anything more than you need because there's still going to be supply after the storm passes.
He said Idalia is not expected to affect refineries since Florida's suppliers are located along the Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi coastline.
Contaminated Gas
Over the weekend, gasoline contaminated with diesel was sent to 29 fuel stations supplied by Citgo from the Port of Tampa.
It's being called a human error, but Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Wilton Simpson said in a press conference Monday his team is addressing the issue.
Impacted stations have been asked to stop selling gas until the contaminated fuel is replaced and tanks are cleaned.
"By the end of today, we hope to have all of those gas stations identified which fuels which ones can open up and we're going to work on that,” he said Monday.
Mark Jenkins has been with AAA for 11 years and said he can't recall this happening within that time.
"This is not something that you typically hear much about," he said.
If you purchased gas from the affected stations listed below after 10 a.m. Saturday, vehicles or generators may not properly function. You can file a complaint by calling 1-800-HELP-FLA or go online to FDACS. gov.
- Big Dan's Car Wash: 39522 US Highway 19 N., Tarpon Springs
- 7-Eleven: 3437 US Highway 19, Holiday
- 7-Eleven: 13411 Fish Hawk Boulevard, Lithia
- 7-Eleven: 4325 Lee Boulevard, Lehigh Acres
- 7-Eleven: 12750 South Cleveland Avenue, Fort Myers
- 7-Eleven: 290 Lakeland Park Road, Lakeland
- 7-Eleven: 720 Chiquita Boulevard, North Cape Coral
- 7-Eleven: 2604 Skyline Boulevard, Cape Coral
- 7-Eleven: 940 S Broad St., Brooksville
- 7-Eleven: 1626 Meadow Road, Lehigh Acres
- 7-Eleven: 2401 James Redman Parkway, Plant City
- 7-Eleven: 601 Pine Island Rd. S.W., Cape Coral
- 7-Eleven: 6050 Dean Dairy Road, Zephyrhills
- 7-Eleven: 714 Burnt Store Road, Cape Coral
- BJ's Wholesale: 1929 Pine Island Road N.E., Cape Coral
- BJ's Wholesale: 9372 Ben C Pratt Six Mile Cypress Pkwy., Fort Myers
- BJ's Wholesale: 13585 NE 86th Path, Lady Lakes
- Handy Foods Store #86: 21321 Palm Beach Blvd., Alva
- Handy Foods Store #87: 3205 Lee Blvd., Lehigh Acres
- Superday CITGO: 1595 South McCall Road, Port Charlotte
- Bolton One LLC: 15434 US Highway 19, Hudson
- JHW #310 - DBA Avenue CITGO: 11867 N. Williams St., Dunellon
- AL Prime - Daytona Beach: 1898 S. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach
- Quick & Easy Stop: 4529 Bee Ridge Rd., Sarasota
- Palmers Easy Stop: 903 Cattleman Rd., Sarasota
- Faulkenburg CITGO: 5320 Faulkenburg Road, Tampa
- Choice Food & Gas: 310 N Central Ave., Umatilla
- 2K Express 5: 6202 N 40th St., Tampa
- Perfection Station 5: 9931 N Florida Ave., Tampa
Gas Prices
Prices at Florida’s pumps are decreasing again, according to a AAA. The state average declined nearly 15 cents per gallon in the past ten days.
Sunday's state average was $3.71 per gallon -- the lowest daily average price since July 31st.
The Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice metro region has an average of about $3.69 of regular gas per gallon, about $3.71 in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area, and $3.72 for Lakeland-Winter Haven.
"The price of oil fell to its lowest level in a month, further reducing the cost of producing gasoline," Mark Jenkins said.
“You don't normally see gas prices spike because of a storm affecting Florida per se, unless there's a major issue in getting the gasoline to the area. You know, oftentimes you see the larger gas price increases occur when a hurricane hits the Gulf Coast where the refineries are located.”
