With summer ending and COVID continuing, Florida gas prices dip

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Average gasoline prices in Florida have dipped below $3 a gallon and are expected to go down further amid concerns about the delta variant of the coronavirus, the AAA auto club said Monday. 

As of Sunday, the average cost for a gallon of unleaded gasoline in Florida was $2.98, down about 3 cents from a week earlier. 

AAA said futures prices for gasoline also dropped last week --- signaling likely continued decreases in prices for motorists. 

"The delta strain of COVID-19 continues to drive fuel prices," AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins said in a prepared statement. "The busy summer driving season ends in September, and market watchers are worried that COVID-19 will cause demand to drop more dramatically than it has in previous years. If crude oil and gasoline futures hold at current levels, prices at the pump could drop more than 20 cents per gallon in the weeks to come."

The most expensive gasoline in the state was $3.14 a gallon in the West Palm Beach-Boca Raton market, while the cheapest was $2.86 a gallon in the Punta Gorda market.