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Higher Traffic Expected Across Florida With Labor Day Weekend, College Football Kickoff

September 3, 2015 - 9:45am

The Labor Day weekend is about to kick off and AAA expects more than 35 million Americans and 1.8 million Floridians to hit the road to mark the unofficial end of summer. This marks the highest traffic on the Labor Day weekend since 2008. 

Besides the long weekend, Florida is expecting higher traffic as the college football season kicks off. Florida State University, the University of Central Florida, the University of Florida, the University of Miami and the University of South Florida are all hosting home games on Saturday as their seasons begin. St. Augustine is expecting high traffic as the nation’s oldest city marks its 450th anniversary. 

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) showcased its 511 Traveler Information System on Thursday, urging travelers to stay informed on traffic problems across the Sunshine State. 

“Travelers should keep in mind that Labor Day weekend also kicks off the start of college football season, which will bring in large numbers of fans throughout the rest of the year,” FDOT noted on Thursday. “Including the 511 Traveler Information System in all travel plans will help motorists arrive safely and on time to their intended destinations.”

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam highlighted lower gas prices across the Sunshine State, noting that the last time gas prices were this low over the Labor Day weekend was 2004. But Putnam warned about increased fraud at the pump as skimmers, devices that steal credit and debit card information at the gas pumps, are on the rise. 

“In order to better protect consumers, our inspectors routinely check for skimmers while inspecting a gas pump,” Putnam said on Wednesday. “While the overall number of these devices is low, we encourage Floridians and visitors to take precautions at the pump to protect their financial information.”

Putnam said over the past month his department had found and removed nine skimmers across the Sunshine State and offered tips for consumers including using pumps closer to the cashier and monitor credit card and bank accounts to ensure fraud is quickly found and reported.

Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN

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