TAMPA, FL (352today.com) – Florida gas prices have dropped to their lowest levels in three months.
As of Sunday, pump prices statewide averaged $3.33 per gallon, declining 15 cents last week according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). That’s less than the national average which comes in at $3.60 per gallon.
AAA says domestic pump prices maintained their daily decline despite the uncertainty rippling through the oil market in the days since Hamas terrorists attacked Israel.
“Oil prices have risen a few dollars per barrel this week, but that is far from the roughly $40 per barrel temporary spike following last year’s Russian invasion of Ukraine,” said AAA on its website. “The critical difference is that Russia is a significant oil producer, while Israel and the Palestinian territories are not.”
“As long as this war does not spread to include more countries in the region, the effect on the oil market will remain muted,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson.
The downward trend is welcome to Sunshine State travelers and commuters. “The discount at the pump has largely been driven by falling oil prices,” said Mark Jenkins, AAA Florida spokesman. “However, the downward trend could stall soon. Ongoing geopolitical tensions allowed oil prices to regain some strength last week, though they remain below price levels we saw three weeks ago.”
The most expensive metro markets right now are:
- West Palm Beach-Boca Raton ($3.53)
- Naples ($3.49)
- Tallahassee ($3.45)
Markets with the lowest prices are:
- Pensacola ($3.16)
- Crestview-Fort Walton Beach ($3.19)
- Orlando ($3.25)
The current lowest price of gasoline in Marion County is $3.03 per gallon, according to GasBuddy.
Some ways you can save on gasoline include combining errands to limit driving time, shopping around for the best gas prices in your community, paying with cash, removing excess weight in your vehicle and driving conservatively.