Gas prices are changing in Florida. How the spring driving season affects your wallet
Gas is going up again. Prices are about 9 cents a gallon higher from last week in Florida and more than 2 cents higher in the Miami area.
Despite the increase, prices in Miami are about 11 cents per gallon lower than a month ago, according to the fuel-industry monitoring service GasBuddy.
As for now, is this price increase the beginning of a trend heading into the spring and summer driving season?
What to know about gas prices:
CHEAPEST AND MOST EXPENSIVE GAS IN THE MIAMI AREA
The cheapest gas in the Miami area: $2.69 a gallon on Monday, according to a GasBuddy survey of about 1,700 stations in the region.
The highest price: $4.74 a gallon.
The average price: $3.33, up 2.5 cents a gallon from last week.
FLORIDA AVERAGE PRICE
The average price for a gallon of gas in Florida on Monday, according to AAA, was $3.31.
GAS-PRICE FORECAST
AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins: “Price hikes like these are common this time of year as spring vacations drive up gasoline demand, while refineries conduct seasonal maintenance due and switch to summer gasoline.”
Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy: “With the transition to more expensive summer gasoline underway coast to coast, wholesale gasoline prices continue to inch up at a rate typical for this time of year, reflected in the national average rising for the second straight week.”
GAS PRICES AROUND FLORIDA
Areas around the state and their average gas prices, according to GasBuddy and AAA:
Cape Coral: $3.27 a gallon
Naples: $3.30
Sarasota: $3.27
Most expensive areas: West Palm Beach/ Boca Raton, Naples, Fort Lauderdale
Least expensive areas: Crestview-Fort Walton Beach, Panama City,
Pensacola
U.S. AVERAGE PRICE
The average price for a gallon of gas across the country on Monday, according