ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida on Friday joined a growing number of states that have recently surpassed the record-breaking national average for the cost of regular gasoline, according to AAA.
The auto club’s May 13 report listed an average price of $4.432 for the U.S. and $4.466 for Florida, marking increases since Thursday of 1.4 and 6.8 cents, respectively.
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Demand for gasoline had fallen between Monday and Thursday from 8.86 million barrels per day (b/d) to 8.7 million b/d, according to AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins. The price at the pump typically follows demand, but it’s also influenced by the prices of crude oil, which Jenkins said have remained volatile.
“As (crude prices) surge, pump prices follow suit. Pump prices will likely face upward pressure as oil prices stay above $105 per barrel,” Jenkins said in a statement.
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Prices dipped below $100 per barrel at the beginning of the week in what Jenkins said was a reaction to COVID-19 lockdowns in China and their impact on demand, but they began rising again on Wednesday.
“Crude prices reversed course (Wednesday) over growing market worries that Ukrainian and European Union actions against Russian oil-and-natural gas companies could spark retaliation by Russia that leads to more market disruption and uncertainty,” Jenkins said.
As of Thursday, Jenkins said the current domestic supply of crude oil is about 12.5% lower than it was during the first week of May 2021.
Looking back as far in Florida, it’s now over one-and-a-half times more expensive on average to fill your tank than it was a year ago, comparing figures $4.466 and $2.896.
As of Friday, according to AAA, the following average gas prices were higher in these places than the national average of $4.432:
- Alaska- $4.819
- Arizona- $4.722
- California- $5.872
- District of Columbia- $4.710
- Florida- $4.466
- Hawaii- $5.310
- Idaho- $4.501
- Illinois- $4.809
- Massachusetts- $4.476
- Maine- $4.455
- New Jersey- $4.502
- Nevada- $5.136
- New York- $4.683
- Oregon- $4.900
- Pennsylvania- $4.580
- Rhode Island- $4.456
- Utah- $4.484
- Vermont- $4.483
- Washington- $4.923
Use the interactive map below to see the latest average regular gas prices in Florida for most counties: