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Florida gas prices continue to climb, break records
Elizabeth Fry reports
TAMPA, Fla. - The price at the pump is once again setting a new record in Florida, this time for the most expensive Memorial Day gas prices.
Over 2 million Americans took to the roads for the Memorial Day holiday, and high gas prices matched the demand. Florida’s average gas price averages $4.57 per gallon. That’s up a full $1.71 from last Memorial Day, and it broke the $3.93 per gallon record that was set back in 2008.
With summer officially underway, and 6 out of 10 Americans projected to take at least one road trip, experts have said it’s unlikely a significant drop in gas prices will be coming anytime soon.
Right now, Floridians are paying about $68 to fill up a 15-gallon tank, $25 more than they were paying this time last year, and drivers are desperate for a break.
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Florida approves emergency gas rule to lower prices
Some Florida gas stations will begin selling a blend of fuel that’s typically only available during the colder months to try to lower gas prices, but only 10 percent of stations in Florida can sell that type of gas.
READ: Florida motorists can get gas tax break in October
"I don’t foresee oil prices really dropping all that dramatically. And if more people are hitting the road, and you have this sort of increased demand at a gas station, you could see these prices stay high throughout all of summer and into the fall," said Andrew Gross with AAA.
But it’s not just summer travel driving up prices, the continued war in Ukraine is also playing a part in making lower gas prices highly unlikely.
Experts have said that at this point, the odds of reaching that $5 per gallon mark nationwide is at least 60%. They’re hopeful that prices will begin to start trending downward in August as the summer season starts to wind down.