With Hurricane Irma a threat, Southwest Florida gas stations prepare for lines
Gasoline prices were the highest they had been for the last three Labor Day weekends, and they might climb more as Hurricane Irma nears the U.S. and demand increases.
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The Daily News spoke with nine gas station across Collier County. All were fully stocked but busy and anticipating to get even busier as the hurricane nears. The average price for regular gas per gallon among those stations was $2.65.
Graeme Love, the owner and manager of a BP station in Golden Gate, said he is not as worried as some about fuel shipments because his station receives its fuel from refineries in northern Texas. That region was relatively unaffected by Hurricane Harvey, which devastated Houston last week.
However, Love said he is about five times busier than normal and expects gas could run low by the weekend.
"The closer we get to the hurricane, it'll be a draw. ... If we have 15 truckloads of fuel, whoever gets it gets it," Love said.
In addition, he said he is selling 19 cases of water per hour. He has 700 cases of 35-pack water bottles left.
Co-manager Lori Griffin of the RaceTrac gas station on Airport-Pulling Road in East Naples said water also was going quickly at her station.
"I'm all out of my water cases," Griffin said. "All I have are single bottles. We're on schedule to get more water tomorrow, but it depends on if they're available in the warehouses."
Griffin said her station was fully stocked on gas supplies at the moment but would have more information later in the day on shipment throughout the week.
"Gas prices are reaching a point where they should begin to plateau," said Mark Jenkins, a spokesman for AAA —The Auto Club Group, in a news release early Tuesday.
More:Lowest gas prices in Naples and Southwest Florida
"Wholesale prices are finally showing weakness, which will relieve upward pressure on the retail side.
The national average jumped 28 cents in the last 10 days, with Monday's average price of $2.64 per gallon the highest since Aug. 20, 2015, AAA reported.
Florida's average price rose 33 cents in the past six days. Monday's average price of $2.64 per gallon is the highest since July 16, 2015. Drivers in the southeastern U.S. might not see prices move lower until Hurricane Irma is long gone.
The lowest price reported in south Lee County is $2.59, at stations including the Chevron at Bonita Beach Road and Imperial Parkway and the Shell at Bonita Beach Road and Old 41 Road, gasbuddy.com reported.
The Shell at Trade Center Way and Airport-Pulling Road in North Naples was $2.49.
Some of the highest prices in Collier included $2.71, at the Shell across from Gulf Coast High School along Immokalee Road, reported gasbuddy.com, where motorists can report gas prices.
One year ago, the average gas price in Florida was $2.29, AAA reported.
"Retailers will not be in a big hurry to lower prices for a number of reasons," said Jenkins of AAA.
"For starters, retailers have the right to choose what they charge for gasoline. However, a state of emergency, like the one issued in Florida, prevents retailers from grossly raising prices beyond anything they've charged in the past 30 days. If they do, retailers have to prove justifiable cause, based on market trends."
Drivers can report information to the attorney general’s Price Gouging Hotline at 1-866-966-7226. They also can report violations at http://myfloridalegal.com/ or mail documents to: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, PL-01, Tallahassee, FL 32399-1050