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Summer gas prices at a low in Florida ahead of July 4 holiday

ORLANDO, Fla. — The summer travel season is in full swing and Florida drivers will get to experience some of the lowest gas prices of the year, according to the American Automobile Association.

AAA said the state average dropped six cents during the past week and is three cents less than this time last year.

As of June 19, the state average is on a 15-day streak of decline in prices, falling a total of 10 cents since June 3.

The low prices come as AAA predicts more Americans will travel on July 4 than ever before.

The auto group said a record-breaking 44.2 million Americans, including 2.3 million Floridians, will travel for the holiday.

That’s an increase from 1.3 million Americans and 103,000 Floridians from last year, according to AAA.

The current average gas price in Orlando is $2.10 and is $2.17 in Daytona Beach.

The Independence Day holiday travel period runs from Friday, June 30 to Tuesday, July 4.

While Memorial and Labor Day holidays often attract a similar number of total travelers, Independence Day commonly attracts 12-13 percent more, AAA said.

“More people travel for Independence Day because it falls in the middle of summer when school is out,” said Vicky Evans, assistant vice president of AAA. “Families can easily plan extended vacations for this holiday without worrying about school calendars.”

AAA’s data is collected from credit card swipes and direct feeds from 120,000 gas stations in the country.