Gas prices down 12 cents over past two weeks as record travel predicted for July 4

July Fourth travelers will have a few extra dollars to spend at their favorite roadside barbecue stands and ice cream shops this year.

That’s because the average price for unleaded regular gas has fallen 12 cents over the past two weeks and is averaging $3.35 a gallon in Florida. Monday’s average price was $1.19 lower than last July Fourth, travel club AAA said in its weekly Gas Price Update.

The good news comes as a record 2.45 million Floridians prepare to take a road trip for the holiday weekend, AAA says. The expected number of motorists would be about 37,000 more than last year and 180,000 more than in 2019, AAA figures show.

“Even if gas prices bounce higher again soon, Independence Day trippers will pay much less at the pump than they did last year,” AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins said.

Low oil prices are keeping gas prices down, Jenkins said. A barrel of U.S.-produced crude oil fell to $67.54 on Friday and was trading just over $69 late Monday morning.

Of course, gasoline retailers have been known to raise prices ahead of summer holiday weekends to squeeze a few extra dollars of profit, so don’t be surprised if the downward trend stops this week and doesn’t resume until after the holiday is over.

The national average gas price on Monday was $3.54, according to GasBuddy.com.

Prices have been “stuck in the $3.50 to $3.60 range since late April with fundamentals holding pretty stable, even though oil prices have bounced around between $65 and $80 in the same timeframe,” says Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy.com’s lead petroleum analyst.

Although analysts are watching developments in Russia, which withstood a daylong military challenge over the weekend from the Wagner group, a rogue fighting force, worldwide demand for oil appears to be struggling as central banks raise interest rates to fight inflation, De Haan wrote.

In South Florida, the average gas price on Monday was $3.39 in Broward and Miami-Dade counties and $3.51 in Palm Beach County. Prices in the region tend to run higher than the state average because of the higher cost of living down here.

But savvy shoppers know they can always find a better-than-average price if they know where to look.

According to GasBuddy.com’s price comparison map, several stations in Broward County were selling gas for $2.99 a gallon on Monday.

They were:

  • Marathon, 8490 W. NW 44th St., Lauderhill
  • Exxon, 8208 W. Commercial Blvd., Lauderhill
  • Murphy Express, 10160 W. Oakland Park Blvd., Sunrise
  • Marathon, 10901 W. Oakland Park Blvd., Sunrise
  • Chevron, 9970 W. Oakland Park Blvd., Sunrise

In Palm Beach County, a Rocket Fuel station at 100 N. Federal Highway in North Palm Beach was selling gas for $2.95 while a Marathon station and a Sunoco station in Lake Park were priced at $2.97. The Marathon station is at 980 Northlake Blvd. and the Sunoco is at 774 Northlake Blvd.

Hialeah Gardens was Miami-Dade County’s low-price hotspot on Monday. Motorists could find gas for $2.99 at Murphy USA, 9203 NW 77th Ave., Wawa at 7878 NW 103rd St., and Exxon at 8314 NW 103rd St.

Ron Hurtibise covers business and consumer issues for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He can be reached by phone at 954-356-4071, on Twitter @ronhurtibise or by email at rhurtibise@sunsentinel.com.

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