Florida's average gas price hits highest since 2012

TAMPA, Fla. - Gas prices in Florida rose about 44 cents per gallon in the last five days, putting the average cost for gas at just under $4 per gallon.

Drivers should expect record-high prices at the gas pump because prices are expected to continue rising, according to AAA. Oil prices are surging because of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, experts say.

Sanctions and regulations against Russia have limited the country’s ability to sell its oil on the global market, therefore creating a supply and demand issue, according to a spokesperson with AAA.

On Sunday, Florida’s average gas price hit  $3.96 per gallon, the highest since April 2012.

"I’m a college kid so, you start to budget a little bit and now I have to ‘up up’ because of gas prices, so I definitely have to consider spending a lot more money on gas now. I was trying to save money on gas," said Angelo Guifarro, who was filling up his tank in the Bay Area on Monday morning before driving to Tallahassee.

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It is costing drivers about $20 more to fill up their tanks right now compared to this time last year.

The Tampa Bay market doesn’t even have the highest average in Florida.

The most expensive metro market right now in the state is the West Palm Beach-Boca Raton region with an average of $4.06 per gallon, according to AAA.  Lakeland-Winter Haven has one of the lowest averages at $3.92 per gallon.

To improve fuel economy, AAA urges drivers to maintain their vehicles, remove excess weight in their vehicles, and says people should not drive aggressively, because fast accelerations and hard stops can be bad for gas mileage.