Pump patrol: Prices begin to fall in Florida; here’s what you’ll pay Monday

ORLANDO, Fla. — When it comes to the cost of gasoline in Florida, AAA had slightly better news to share on Monday compared to recent weeks.

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Following a two-week surge, the auto giant said gas prices were once again declining in the Sunshine State.

AAA said that over the weekend, the average for regular unleaded fell roughly 2 cents, landing at $3.30 per gallon on Sunday.

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That was still a stark contrast to the $2.99 that Floridians were paying on Dec. 26.

The 30-cent-plus spike since late December has felt unfamiliar and somewhat alarming after weeks of steady declines -- totaling nearly 60 cents per gallon -- in November and most of December.

But the modest 2-cent drop over this past weekend appears to be the start of a trend that will usher in more significant price improvements, according to AAA.

“Gas prices soared in recent weeks after winter storms caused temporary refinery outages,” AAA’s Mark Jenkins said.

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Jenkins said that while refinery activity got back up to speed last week, global fuel demand was lower, partly because of rising COVID-19 cases in China.

What does that reduced demand mean for consumers at the pump?

“Retail prices could drop 10 to 20 cents in the coming weeks unless oil prices suddenly rebound,” he said.

Jenkins explained that lower oil prices typically trigger lower gasoline prices, but usually with lag time.

“Gas prices always rise like a rocket and fall like a feather ... so it could take a few weeks before retail prices fully adjust to the recent oil price drop.”

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In The City Beautiful, the average price per gallon landed at $3.27 on Monday.

So if you plan to fill up your 15-gallon tank in the metro area, expect to spend a little less than $50.

To find the lowest gas prices in your neighborhood, click here.

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