Gas prices are on a yo-yo string. Two weeks ago, they were down. Last week they were up. Now they are down again.
Prices at the pump on Monday, Feb. 17, have plummeted an average of 14 cents in Florida and nearly 16 cents in the Miami area. Nationally, gas is up a few cents per gallon.
In the Miami area, prices are 19 cents a gallon lower than a month ago and 34 cents lower than a year ago.
“Oil prices are trading on the lower end of the range they’ve been in for the past few months,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesperson for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “This has enabled gas prices to also slip to the lower end of the range they’ve recently been priced at. However, Florida gas prices have been erratic and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see an uptick this week.”
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Several North Florida areas are averaging less than $3 a gallon as the region remains the cheapest to get gas in the state, in some places about 25 cents cents less per gallon than South Florida. Naples and Palm Beach County are among the most expensive areas for gas.
Here’s what to know if you’re commuting or traveling in Florida:
Gas prices on a trend.
Gas prices in South Florida
▪ Miami-Dade: The average price: $3 on Monday, Feb. 17, down 15.8 cents from last week, according to GasBuddy’s survey of nearly 1,700 stations in the region. Cheapest gas in the Miami area was $2.69 and the most expensive $4.49.
▪ Fort Lauderdale: $3.02, according to AAA, 14 cents less than last week.
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▪ West Palm Beach/Boca Raton: $3.17, according to AAA, 12 cents less than last week.
Florida price at the pump
Average: The average price for a gallon of gas in Florida on Monday, Feb. 17, according to AAA, was $3.02, a 14-cent decrease from last week.
Gas prices around Florida
Monday prices, according to AAA:
Bradenton/Sarasota: $2.96
Daytona Beach: $3.02
Fort Myers: $2.99
Gainesville: $3.09
Jacksonville: $2.94
Naples: $3.17
Orlando: $3.01
Panama City: $2.86
Pensacola: $2.89
Port St. Lucie: $3.02
Tallahassee: $2.98
Tampa/St. Pete: $3.04
U.S. price at the pump
Average: The average price for a gallon of gas across the country on Monday, Feb 17, according to AAA, is $3.16, a 3-cent increase from last week.
What the experts are saying
Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy: “The national average has inched higher, driven primarily by sharp gas price increases on the West Coast, where refinery maintenance and outages have created a ripple effect in neighboring states, pushing prices higher in many communities. While most of the country has experienced a relatively quiet week for gas prices, the West Coast has seen rapid increases— a trend that should slow in the coming days. Although the surge remains isolated to the West for now, refinery maintenance will soon begin in other regions, and with the transition to summer gasoline blends underway, prices in most areas are likely to start rising in the weeks ahead. Meanwhile, oil prices remain subdued in the low $70s as President Trump works on a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine— an event that, if realized, could have significant implications for oil markets in the months ahead.”
How to find cheap gas near you
There’s an app to help: The GasBuddy app was built to show motorists prices around them and a fuel tracker can update users on stations that have or don’t have fuel based on supply changes.
