WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The availability of gas in South Florida certainly didn't appear to improve on Tuesday.
"We thought it was getting better by this time today, and it's gotten worse," gas station owner Alex Fernandez said.
Drivers across the region were finding it challenging to find fuel as delivery delays continued following last week's severe flooding at Port Everglades, where gas arrives by ocean tankers.
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.@FLSERT is deploying over 500,000 gallons of fuel to stations in SE FL. The State stands ready to assist our private sector partners in fuel distribution and delivery.
— FL Division of Emergency Management (@FLSERT) April 18, 2023
"We're told we're 60th in line and talking about an eight-hour wait, so it gets pushed back and gets changed," Fernandez said while referring to the tanker truck with his gas waiting at Port Everglades.
According to Gas Buddy, about 20% of the stations in Palm Beach County did not have gas on Tuesday compared to 50% in Dade and Broward.
In an effort to alleviate the shortage, the Florida Division of Emergency Management announced they were sending 500,000 gallons of fuel to southeast Florida.
"I had to go to three gas stations to find gas on foot," Chris Estevez, who ran out of gas after driving from Tampa to West Palm Beach for work.
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Truck driver Jonathon Anderson waited in a long line at a station on Belvedere Road after trying five stations that had no gas.
"I need gas bad because I got to get this load down south, and I mean in a New York minute," Anderson said.
Port Everglades, in an update on Tuesday, reported gas deliveries were continuing at the port and trucks were being loaded around the clock, but consumers may continue to experience delays.
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Officials and experts are also urging drivers not to panic and hoard gasoline.
"Let me be clear, there is no shortage," Patrick De Haan of GasBuddy.com said. "There is a challenge keeping up a higher level of demand as Floridians drive around now looking for gas."
The lack of fuel has created quite a bit of stress for drivers and store owners.
"People are definitely getting frustrated," Fernandez said.
He owns a gas station located along Southern Boulevard near the intersection with Parker Avenue in West Palm Beach.
"They're getting a little tense," Fernandez said. "They're pulling the bags off trying to get the pumps to go."