FLORIDA – Florida gas prices dropped 20 cents as about 4.6 million residents prepare to travel for Independence Day, AAA said, with the majority — about 4.08 million — expected to take road trips.
Last Independence Day, Florida drivers paid an average of $3.11 per gallon. While AAA said it is unlikely the state average will fall below that before this year’s holiday, the average could test 2024 levels of $3.53 per gallon.
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The state average has fallen 32 cents per gallon over the past 11 days, cutting the cost of filling an average-size tank by nearly $5, AAA said.
Falling gasoline prices have been driven in part by lower crude oil costs. U.S. oil prices fell about 16 percent during the past two weeks amid hopes that an agreement between the U.S. and Iran would lead to a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Since an agreement was announced last weekend, oil dropped $8.28 per barrel, or about 10 percent, and Florida’s average gas price declined about 20 cents per gallon, AAA said.
“Florida’s state average is now the lowest since early March,” Mark Jenkins, a spokesman for AAA — The Auto Club Group, said. “Lower gas prices come at an ideal time for summer travel and offer some financial relief for drivers. Still, the outlook remains uncertain. Developments involving the Strait of Hormuz will continue to influence whether prices rise or fall.”
Among metro areas in Florida, the most expensive averages were in West Palm Beach–Boca Raton ($3.82), Miami ($3.75), Tallahassee ($3.74) and Fort Lauderdale ($3.71). The least expensive were Pensacola ($3.41), Melbourne–Titusville ($3.48) and Crestview–Fort Walton Beach ($3.50), AAA reported.
Tips to conserve gasoline include combining errands, driving conservatively to avoid aggressive acceleration and speeding, removing excess weight from vehicles and shopping around for the best local prices using the AAA mobile app. AAA also said members who enroll in Shell’s Fuel Rewards program can save 30 cents per gallon on their first fill-up and 5 cents per gallon on subsequent trips.
AAA updates fuel price averages daily at GasPrices.AAA.com, surveying up to 130,000 stations based on credit card swipes and direct feeds in cooperation with OPIS and Wright Express. All averages cited are for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline.