AAA says Hurricane Harvey, which slammed into the Texas coast and is causing widespread flooding, could cause a 5- to 15-cent surge in gas prices across Florida this week.
AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins says the increase will hit drivers just as roads are becoming more crowded with travelers for the Labor Day holiday weekend.
He says this increase is not caused by a gasoline shortage but by uncertainty over the extent of damages caused by Harvey.
“This is having an impact on the market,” Jenkins said. “The market is waking up, it’s surveying the scene right now and wholesale gas prices are rising.”
Florida gets much of its gasoline from the Gulf Coast.
Officials will start assessing damage to refineries, chemical plants, ports and waterways in Texas and Louisiana this week.
"If we start to see that there was major damage to any refineries that will leave them out of service for an extended amount of time, then we could see gas prices go up even further,” Jenkins said.
