Gas prices still rising in Florida – and could continue to surge in weeks ahead, experts say

TAMPA, Fla. - As tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to rise, experts say so could the gas prices. That’s not great news for Florida drivers who are already paying some of the highest prices in nearly a decade to fill up their tanks.

Experts have stated that if Russia does in fact invade Ukraine in the coming weeks, gas prices could skyrocket. The mounting tensions did bring with them a small break, however, causing the first decrease in oil prices in over two months.

The price per barrel dropped by about $2 last week, leading to the potential for drivers to save a few cents when filling up. But experts say that drop will most likely be short-lived.

For Florida drivers, there’s a chance those savings went unnoticed as the state yet again set a new record gas price high for 2022 at $3.51 per gallon. That’s up 90 cents from this time last year, and it’s led to some of the highest gas prices that Florida has seen since July 2014.

READ: Price of strawberry shortcake may leave sour taste in the mouths of dessert-lovers

Governor Ron DeSantis tried to provide some relief to Florida drivers by proposing a gas tax break. It would go into effect in July, suspending the 25-cent gas tax for five months.

However, the proposal doesn’t seem to be getting much traction as legislators are concerned it would benefit too many out-of-state drivers who are here in Florida on vacation, instead of specifically benefiting Floridians. Instead, they’ve proposed some other tax holidays where Floridians can get that tax break instead.

The current average price for gas in Florida is about $3.50, that’s up five cents from this time last week. Florida ranks roughly in the middle when compared to prices in other states, as California tops the list with a gallon of gas costing around $4.74.