TAMPA, Fla. — As the temperatures rise across the state, prices for a gallon of gasoline are following suit, jumping 10 cents in the past week.
According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded in Florida averages $3.47. A week ago, the same gallon of gasoline cost $3.37 a gallon. But drivers should be happy because even at today's prices, it's significantly less than a year ago.
Last year, gas prices spiked to records in the months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent war that continues to this day.
Locally, a gallon of regular unleaded costs $3.49 in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area. That was up 14 cents from the same time last week, and it's 32 cents more than a month ago.
As for what's causing the recent price hike, it's a combination of warmer weather getting more people out of the house and an announced oil output cut from OPEC+. Combined, the increase in demand and fall in supply will continue to drive prices higher.
Gas prices will likely rise further as the switchover from winter blend to summer blend occurs leading up to Memorial Day.
Still, gas prices have a long way to go to get into record territory. The highest average price of a gallon of gasoline in Florida was on June 13, 2022, at $4.89.
