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Gas prices falling as fear of coronavirus rises


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Florida’s gasoline prices fell six cents a gallon last week and are likely to continue to fall amid concerns that the coronavirus will reduce global demand for petroleum products such as jet fuel and gasoline.

The average price of a gallon of gasoline fell to $2.35 on Sunday and is expected to reach $2.28 soon, according to AAA — The Auto Club Group.

Friday’s closing price for crude was the lowest in more than a year. After six consecutive days of decline, the U.S. benchmark for crude oil plummeted $9 a barrel, settling at $44.76.

Gasoline futures prices also dropped by 26 cents a gallon on the New York Mercantile Exchange, according to AAA.

“Crude price drops of this significance can reduce the value of retail gasoline by more than 20 cents,” Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group, said in a news release. “It’s something that may not happen overnight, but if crude prices remain low, drivers could pay much less at the pump by the end of this week.”

In Florida on Sunday, the cheapest gasoline was found in Orlando, The Villages, St. Petersburg and Jacksonville at $2.27 a gallon. Punta Gorda and Tampa drivers were paying an average of $2.29.

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The drop in gas prices coincide with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ declaration of emergency on Monday. DeSantis issued Executive Order 20-51, directing the public health emergency and establishing Florida’s Response Protocol for COVID-19 (coronavirus) after two Floridians – one in Sarasota; the other near Tampa – tested positive for the virus.

The declaration means the Florida Department of Health now is in charge of the state’s response to all “presumptively” positive tests results.

“The Florida Department of Health will actively monitor, at a minimum, all persons meeting the definition of a Person Under Investigation ... as defined by the CDC for (coronavirus) for a period of at least 14 days or until the PUI tests negative,” the executive order reads.

According to the governor’s declaration: “Despite these cases in Florida, the overall immediate threat to the public remains low.

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Meanwhile, gas prices still were high in other markets. In West Palm Beach – Boca Raton, drivers were paying $2.50 a gallon; in Gainesville, $2.44; and in Miami, $2.42, according to a AAA gas prices map.

Nationally, gasoline was averaging $2.44 a gallon.

Elsewhere, Pensacola was averaging $2.32 a gallon Monday; Sarasota, $2.35; For Myers, $2.36; Fort Lauderdale, $2.39; Tallahassee, $2.39; and Gainesville, $2.43.

AAA updates fuel price averages daily at www.GasPrices.AAA.com. Every day up to 130,000 stations are surveyed based on credit card swipes and direct feeds in coaction with the oil price.

Scott Powers is an Orlando-based political journalist with 30-plus years’ exigence, mostly at newspapers such as the Orlando Sentinel and the Columbus Dispatch. He covers local, state and federal politics and space news across much of Central Florida. His career earned numerous journalism awards for stories ranging from the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster to presidential elections to misplaced nuclear waste. He and his wife Connie have three grown children. Besides them, he’s into mystery and suspense books and movies, rock, blues, basketball, baseball, writing unpublished novels and being amused. Email him at scott@floridapolitics.com.