Gas prices impacting drivers’ Thanksgiving week travel plans

Average price of gas in Florida is the highest it’s been since 2013

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Millions of Floridians are expected to hit the highways this week for Thanksgiving, but fueling those trips will be more expensive than the Sunshine State has seen in eight years, according to AAA.

On Tuesday, News4JAX spoke with people fueling at a St. Johns County gas station as they hit the road. Some travelers said the higher than normal gas prices haven’t discouraged them from taking part in one of the year’s busiest travel weeks.

Sharon Crews was traveling from Daytona Beach.

“So we actually stayed there and went down the boardwalk, and we loved it because it was kind of closer to our house,” Crews said. “So with the rising gas prices, we could kind of save a little bit of money and still have fun.”

Crews isn’t alone. Several motorists who News4JAX spoke with said the price of gas was a big part of the conversation about how far they should travel.

Marissa Stanert was traveling to Georgia with her dog, Luna. Stanert said, before they stopped for gas, she opted to research the cheapest price.

“We wanted to find somewhere where gas was not so high,” Stanert said. “I would just look on the internet and see what the gas prices are and see if they’re going up or down.”

As of Tuesday, the average price of gas in Florida was $3.35 — the highest it’s been since 2013.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday that he’s calling on the Florida Legislature to provide $1 billion worth of gas tax relief with the hope that it would, in turn, abate the rising price at the pump.

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden announced that his energy department is going to distribute 50 million barrels of oil from the strategic petroleum reserve to soften the strain on supply.

According to AAA, the likely reason we’re seeing higher gas prices is that there are more Americans on the roads than there were this time last year. Also, the litany of supply chain issues and the steady return from the pandemic recession are all contributing factors.