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Florida Gas Prices Dip --- For Now
Gasoline prices in Florida dipped back below the national average during the past week, though pump prices in the Sunshine State could increase as spring demand returns.
The AAA auto club said the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas on Monday was $3.14, down 8 cents from a week earlier.
The national average Monday was $3.20 a gallon, up a nickel from a week earlier.
“Florida gas prices have recently followed a cycle where they decline for about two weeks, then shoot back up again,” AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins said in a prepared statement.
“That trend, plus a recent uptick in futures prices, will likely lead to a jump at the pump, possibly as early as Monday afternoon.”
The national increase stemmed from factors such as seasonal demand trends, higher oil costs and routine refinery maintenance.
“It feels like being in a car with a cold battery, cranking away yet slow to turn over,” AAA spokesman Andrew Gross said in a statement.
“But gas prices will likely start increasing around Valentine’s Day.”
Motorists in parts of the Panhandle saw the lowest prices Monday, including $2.94 a gallon in the Panama City area and $3 in the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach area.
The average price in the West Palm Beach-Boca Raton area was $3.35 a gallon.
