Sorry, Out Of Gas

September 16, 2008

nogas.jpgIt could be a week or more before gas supplies are replenished at some service stations in Florida.

Hurricane Ike led to rumors of shortages and of price spikes, causing many people to fill up extra containers with gas. The fuel supply at many Pensacola area stations quickly ran out over the weekend. The  Florida Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association says a near record amount of gas was sold between Thursday night and Saturday morning in the state, about triple the normal volume. 

The association says the state has plenty of gas, but there is going to be some delay between getting it from the terminals where it is located to the gas stations.

Gas station after gas station in Pensacola had empty price signs and bags over pump handles. At the Tom Thumb on Airport Boulevard in Pensacola, only regular unleaded was available at $3.63 a gallon. At a Tom Thumb on Nine Mile Road, only diesel was available Saturday night; the station was out of all grades of gas. There was a similar across Pensacola Saturday night.

A quick check of stations across the immediate North Escambia area found showed that stations had most or all grades available. But the out of gas situation persisted Monday at many Pensacola stations.

“I’m buying gas up here because the stations I stopped at down there (in Pensacola) didn’t have regular,” one traveler from Georgia said while filling up in Century early Monday evening.

Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson announced Monday that he is issuing subpoenas for financial information from 16 major oil terminals in Florida in connection with an ongoing investigation of gasoline price spikes associated with Hurricane Ike.

The subpoenas are scheduled to be hand delivered to the terminals on Tuesday, and they are seeking records to determine whether any of them illegally increased the wholesale prices that were passed on to retail gas stations and ultimately their customers. The subpoenas call for the records to be provided to Bronson’s office in seven days.

“It’s critical that we go to the source,” Bronson said. “A number of gas stations are claiming that they are only passing on increases that they have had to pay, so it is vital to examine where these price increases originated.”

Under state law, it is unlawful to charge excessive prices for essential items, including gasoline, water, ice, lumber, batteries and shelter, following the declaration of a state emergency unless the increases in the amount charged are attributable to additional costs incurred by those supplying the items.

Individuals or businesses found to have engaged in price gouging face fines up to $1,000 per violation, or up to a maximum fine of $25,000 a day.

Meanwhile, more than 2,300 price-gouging calls were received by Bronson’s office during the last the days, and the volume of calls remains heavy.

Comments

One Response to “Sorry, Out Of Gas”

  1. Kevin Bethea on September 17th, 2008 8:19 pm

    Good for them, it is about time that someone checked the wholesalers. I was in Talahasee on Friday, and the price jumped over 50 cent in just a few hours time. As soon as the unnecessary rush started, the prices went up. I think the hoarding was extreme, but the public still should not be taken advantage of.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News