Update:
October 11, 9:57 a.m. ET
- Florida, statewide: 28.63%
- Fort Myers/Naples: 41.83%
- Gainesville: 40.00%
- Jacksonville 3.35%
- Miami/Fort Lauderdale: 2.02%
- Pensacola: 0.18%
- Orlando/Daytona Beach: 34.49%
- Panama City: 0.00%
- Tallahassee: 2.41%
- Tampa/St. Petersburg: 73.01%
- West Palm Beach: 3.77%
- Sarasota: 54.02%%
Nearly 25% of gas stations in Florida are out of gasoline as residents try to fuel up ahead of Hurricane Milton making landfall on Wednesday. Demand for fuel has surged as many residents in the hurricane’s path are trying to fill tanks before they evacuate, while others who plan to stay are trying to obtain fuel to power generators, according to numerous news reports.
Mobile fuel price app GasBuddy activated its Fuel Availability Tracker in Florida to help drivers find gas stations with fuel and power.
As of 2:43 p.m. ET on Oct. 9, the percentages of stations without fuel in the state and in major cities, according to GasBuddy:
Florida, statewide: 24.27% (total Florida station count: 7,915)
Fort Myers/Naples: 36.63%
Gainesville: 35.29%
Jacksonville 3.09%
Miami/Fort Lauderdale: 1.95%
Pensacola: 0.57%
Orlando/Daytona Beach: 28.17
Panama City: 0.00%
Tallahassee: 2.41%
Tampa/St. Petersburg: 62.3%
West Palm Beach: 2.86%
Sarasota: 43.68%
Dallas-based GasBuddy will continue to post updates as the storm progresses.
Governor Ron DeSantis, who was joined by officials from multiple state agencies, also has been providing ongoing updates on preparedness efforts for Hurricane Milton.
Actions that agencies are taking directly related to the fuel supply include:
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) is working with Florida’s ports and fuel industry partners to ensure adequate fuel supplies are available. Commissioner Wilton Simpson has issued an emergency order suspending requirements related to the distribution, delivery, storage and sale of liquid fuels including gasoline and diesel to assist with efforts to ensure adequate distribution and supply of fuel.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has requested a No Action Assurance letter from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to temporarily adjust certain regulatory requirements to ensure the reliability of Florida’s fueling infrastructure in direct support of emergency response and disaster recovery operations.
Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) troopers escorted fuel trucks from Port Tampa and Port Manatee to fueling stations around the Tampa area throughout the night. Additional troopers will continue these escorts around the clock as long as it is safe to do so until landfall
FHP has facilitated 43 total fuel escorts so far, representing approximately 387,000 gallons.
Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) is coordinating the deployment of fuel and EV chargers to pre-stage along evacuation routes to support evacuations.
FHP has increased presence at fuel stations on evacuation routes.
FHP is providing security at multiple fuel sites across the state.
FloridaCommerce is working with convenience-store retailer Wawa to provide space for evacuees to charge electric vehicles.
Wawa stores in Florida “will strive to remain open to serve the community and will aim to have as much fuel supply as possible,” the retailer said on its website. “As Hurricane Milton approaches Florida and begins to make landfall, some Wawa stores may temporarily close or experience periodic fuel outages and/or have limited-fuel supply. …. To make every attempt to have continuous fuel supply along major arteries and evacuation routes, Wawa is prioritizing fuel deliveries to stores along Florida’s most trafficked roads and highways as well as major evacuation routes. Wawa will be updating a ‘fuel priority store’ list here that records Florida locations most expected to have fuel supply and other essential items. Wawa will work to keep this list continuously updated before, during and after the storm.
Florida does not have any refineries or gasoline pipelines that connect it to states with excess supply, said the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Florida’s gasoline and diesel are delivered by truck or ship from domestic and international sources. Click here for EIA’s analysis of Florida’s fuel supply situation.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody extended Florida’s Price Gouging Hotline following a state of emergency declaration for areas of the state preparing for Hurricane Milton. Florida’s price gouging law remains in effect for the counties already under the state of emergency order for Hurricane Helene and will remain active for the areas covered by Milton, she said. During a storm-related declared state of emergency, state law prohibits excessive increases in the price of essential commodities, such as equipment, food, gasoline, hotel rooms, ice, lumber and water needed as a direct result of the event.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.