December 11, 2017 - 9:15am
With the holidays approaching, gas prices across the Sunshine State continue to drop.
AAA released a study on Monday which showed gas prices stood, on average, at $2.41 per gallon on Sunday in Florida, a drop of three cents from the previous week. While prices have dropped, on average, 12 cents a gallon in Florida over the past month, they remain 19 cents higher than where they were this time last year.
Florida is below the national average which stood at $2.47 per gallon on Sunday after dropping a penny over the past week.
Mark Jenkins, a spokesman for AAA and the Auto Club Group, said these numbers were in line for what they usually were at this time of the year.
"Seasonal trends like reduced gasoline demand and increased fuel supply are allowing pump prices to keep moving lower," Jenkins said on Monday "The first half of December is normally characterized by weak demand, as cold weather and shorter days cause Americans to drive less. Look for another week of declines as refineries continue to produce gasoline at a much higher rate than what is being consumed."
Jenkins pointed to other factors as well, including gasoline inventories standing at almost 6.8 million barrels, the highest since January, and domestic crud oil production topping 9.7 million barrels for the first time since 1971.
West Palm Beach had the most expensive gas in the Sunshine State with an average of $2.54 per gallon followed by Miami at $2.52 and Naples at $2.50. The least expensive gas in Florida could be found in three different markets with an average of $2.34 per gallon in Jacksonville, Orlando and the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater market.
Average gas prices at the national level have ranged from a high of $2.67 per gallon in early September as the Sunshine State and the Gulf Coast were recovering from hurricanes to $2.23 per gallon at the start of July. In Florida, the average gas prices have ranged from $2.73 per gallon at the start of September to $2.13 per gallon in the middle of July.
READ MORE FROM SUNSHINE STATE NEWS
