JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – This week marked the ninth straight week that the nation’s average price of gas posted a rise, according to GasBuddy.
GasBuddy complied data from more than 11 million price reports that cover 150,000 gas stations across the country.
“The Russian invasion of Ukraine has sparked high level concern that oil production could eventually be stifled, or even sanctioned, from the world’s second largest oil producer, leading to less supply as demand grows,” Patrick De Haan, analyst at GasBuddy, said in a prepared statement on the company’s website. “That possibility has pushed up the national average price of gasoline considerably in the last week, and the situation could worsen at any time, keeping gas prices elevated for the foreseeable future.”
De Haan also said in addition to the Russian invasion, we’re entering a time of year that seasonality pushes prices up from 25 to 75 cents by Memorial Day.
LINK: Search gas prices on GasBuddy at stations closest to you
“It’s simply looking like a perfect storm for motorists at the pump, with little to no relief anytime soon,” De Haan added.
By Friday night, a chart on GasBuddy’s website showed the average price for regular gas in Florida was over $3.75. On Monday, the chart showed a Florida average just over the $3.50 mark.
Drive through the Jacksonville area, and you’ll see sign after sign with sky-high gas prices -- all creeping closer to the $4 mark
We met Drew Pope and Tommy Guy, who were on their way to Bike Week in Daytona.
“Gas prices are ridiculous,” Pope said. “I can’t hardly afford to drive anything.”
“They’re terrible. They’re going up and I think it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better,” said David Morley, a driver from Maryland. “That’s my opinion, but I think quite a few people in the United States have the same opinion.”
As for Pope and Guy, they are trying to focus on the positives.
“We’re on bikes, so our gas tanks are a little smaller, but if we were driving our trucks down here it would be a different story,” Guy said.
He added that the gas prices aren’t going to stop them from gearing up and riding.