WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Gas prices topping $4 a gallon in West Palm Beach are putting pressure on lawn care businesses, and industry experts warn homeowners could soon see higher bills for yard maintenance.
WATCH BELOW: 'It's been impacting me by a lot,' Vince Jean Baptiste tells WPTV's Kayla McDermott
Vince Jean Baptiste, owner of JB Landscaping, said the cost of fueling his operation has become a serious burden.
"It's been impacting me by a lot," Jean Baptiste said.
In his third year running the business, Jean Baptiste said nearly every piece of equipment he uses runs on fuel — from his work truck to his two mowers — and filling up multiple times a week is adding up fast.
"My fuel and then my personal vehicle, my work truck," Jean Baptiste said.
He said he spends about $300 on fuel roughly two and a half times a week.
"It's too much," Jean Baptiste said.
Gene Caballero, co-founder of GreenPal, a platform that connects homeowners with lawn care services, said the strain is being felt far beyond South Florida.
"We're seeing it countrywide," Caballero said.
Caballero said the current surge stands out even against decades of experience in the industry.
"In my 25 years, I haven't seen a large increase, like we're having right now," Caballero said.
He said rising fuel costs are now forcing lawn care businesses to reconsider what they charge customers, with some already raising rates.
"Kind of seeing like a 10, 15% increase," Caballero said "They can't bear that, that weight forever."
As gas prices climb due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Jean Baptiste said he has tried to shield his customers from the impact for as long as he can.
"I try to give homeowners a break, because they're not getting paid more either," Jean Baptiste said.
But he said if prices do not drop by summer, he may have no choice but to raise his rates.
"Try to go nine, 10% from what I'm charging," Jean Baptiste said.
For now, he said his customers have been supportive.
"I've been grateful with them, so they should be understanding," Jean Baptiste said.
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