Florida gas prices continue downward slide

MIAMI – AAA auto club is seeing a big drop in gas prices in Florida because oil prices are plunging.

The price of gas has fallen to the lowest level since June of 2023. In turn, that has lowered the cost of gasoline.

Twenty percent of gas stations have prices lower than $3 per gallon.

That percentage is expected to grow.

Florida cruised through the Labor Day weekend with gasoline prices in some places under $3 a gallon.

The AAA auto club said Florida drivers paid an average of $3.28 for a gallon of regular unleaded gas last Tuesday, up 3 cents from a week earlier.

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said in an online post that prices have peaked, as market prices of oil have been "slipping" and refineries will begin converting to the cheaper winter blend of gas on Sept. 15.

"The nearly nationwide switch to winter gasoline is less than 2 weeks away," De Haan posted Sunday on the social media platform X.

The winter blend of gas is cheaper but slightly less energy-efficient than the summer blend. It has been shown to help with engine ignition during colder temperatures.

Moving from summer blend to winter blend usually can lead to drops in prices of 10 to 30 cents.