MIDDLEBURG – Joseph Irvine tried to squeeze every drop of gasoline into his truck’s gas tank Tuesday until it started to spill. Every penny he could get in his truck and the five-gallon cans used for his lawn service company were pennies saved.

As soon as he hung the dispenser back on the pump, the price sign in front of the Middleburg Mobil at 2584 County Road 220 flickered and the numbers changed quicker than the running calculator that shows the growing national debt.

One minute the cost was $2.38 a gallon. The next it was back to $3.53.

An organization called Americans for Prosperity-Florida partnered with the station to remind some lucky motorists that gas prices are still $1.15 a gallon more expensive now than it was in mid-January of 2021.

The state branch of AFP said their national campaign is to remind the government that current restrictions, “top-down spending” and new regulations have limited growth and led to rising costs for everyone. The organization said due to inflation, the average Floridian spent $681 on goods, services and gasoline in May.

Irvine said the one-hour promotion saved him about $70.

“This is a very big deal for me,” he said. “My uncle called me last night and told me about it. I got one of the tickets and I got as much as I could. It usually costs me more than $100 every time I fill up. This was a lot less.”

AFP, which was founded in 2004 by David and Charles Koch, gave away tickets for the promotion and motorists were allowed to enjoy the savings from, 10-11 a.m. One of the activists said 77 cars were able to fill up.

The demand was so overwhelming, that the Clay County Sheriff’s Office had to close off the front and back entrances to the station. Some residents were concerned the presence of two sheriff cruisers and heavy traffic could have been related to a problem at nearby Doctors Inlet Elementary.

CCSO confirmed there were no incidents reported at the school.