PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Florida gas prices rose about 20 cents a gallon Tuesday, catching many drivers off guard as military activity in the Strait of Hormuz pushed oil and wholesale gasoline prices higher.
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Patrick DeHaan, a petroleum analyst with GasBuddy, said the spike is part of a broader regional trend.
"We're seeing Florida along with other states getting engaged in the price cycling jump," he said.
DeHaan said the increases came in direct response to developments overseas.
"That's because oil prices jumped yesterday as did the wholesale price of gasoline," he said.
He said those moves were driven by the latest military activity in the Strait of Hormuz.
The sudden hike hit drivers hard. Jalisse Thomas, who was filling up her car in West Palm Beach, said the constant fluctuation is a financial strain.
"It doesn't go down fast enough, and money doesn't go up up either, so it is hard," Thomas said.
A viewer from Fort Pierce raised a question many drivers share:
"How is it that gas prices go up immediately when there's a strike (in Iran), but when they come down in oil prices, it takes months before the gas pumps really show a considerable difference?"
I asked DeHaan about that, and he said prices do move in both directions — but the sharp increases simply draw more attention than gradual declines.
"It's a lot easier to notice a one day 30 cent increase then it is to notice a nickel every day, that nickel everyday doesn't add up at the same pace that a 30-cent jump does."
DeHaan pointed to a recent example, noting that from May 20 to June 20 of this year, gas prices dropped a dollar a gallon.
