Gas prices in Florida held steady last week even as prices across the nation increased, a new study from AAA finds.
AAA unveiled their look at gas prices in the Sunshine State and across the nation on Monday. Prices in Florida averaged $2.29 per gallon on Sunday, the same as they had been a week before. The national average stood at $2.36 per gallon on Sunday, up five cents from the week before.
Mark Jenkins, a spokesman for AAA and the Auto Club Group, noted that these prices are above what they were at this time last year.
"Motorists are now finding gas prices 14 cents more than this time last year," Jenkins said on Monday. "Although gasoline demand is keeping pace with last year's levels, oil prices are making the biggest difference in prices at the pump. Steady declines in crude supplies have pushed oil prices about $10 per barrel higher than last year, making it more expensive to produce gasoline."
The report noted that crude oil prices now exceeded $50 per barrel, the highest they had been since the end of May, even as demand for gasoline continues to increase and crude supplies are dropping.
The West Palm Beach-Boca Raton market continues to have the most expensive gas in the Sunshine State with an average of $2.38 per gallon. Both the Miami and Pensacola markets saw an average of $2.31 per gallon.
The least expensive gas in the Florida could be found in the Fort Myers-Cape Coral market where prices averaged $2.24 per gallon. The Tampa Bay and Orlando markets were right behind with averages of $2.25 per gallon.
So far in 2017, average gas prices in Florida have ranged from a high of $2.47 per gallon in April to a low of $2.13 per gallon in the middle of July. Nationally, the highest average was $2.42 per gallon back in April while the lowest was $2.23 per gallon at the start of July.
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