People across the greater Tampa Bay region are frustrated at the gas pump.
Average prices climbed above $4 a gallon last week and stayed there — marking the highest level since 2022.
Fueling up her Pontiac Solstice at a Wawa on North Florida Avenue, Jeanette Brennan said she's feeling the squeeze despite having a small car with decent mileage.
"It's very, very tiny, and it gets about 30 miles to the gallon. But it's not enough," she said. "[Gas prices] are obscene right now, like, literally in the last two weeks, it is almost 83 cents more a gallon to fill up my gas tank."
Farther east, off of U.S. 301, trucker Reniel Fuentes said his big rig takes about $600 to fill up on diesel.
Speaking in Spanish, he said, "Now, fueling with diesel for a full tank is very expensive, very high-priced."
Diesel prices in Florida averaged $5.76 a gallon on Thursday, according to AAA.
Across the bay at a Costco in Bradenton, a Michigan snowbird was starting to dread his upcoming 1,000-mile trek north while pumping gas.
"It's kind of irritating to have to pay extra. You know. ... Yeah, we talk about getting an electric vehicle or something," he said.
On top of high gas prices, the Tampa metro has experienced a lagging gas supply to meet the significant demand.
Alex Zander Torres, a fuel truck driver from Illinois, said he was sent south to work in Florida this month to pick up the slack.
"The supply is high and the demand is high, yet we don't have enough people to cover it, so they've been bringing us in from other areas to help out," he said.
USF economics professor Michael Snipes said the Tampa metro's high demand for gas isn't surprising given the area's high population, car-reliant culture and heavy Spring Break tourism.
Gabriella Paul covers the stories of people living paycheck to paycheck in the greater Tampa Bay region for WUSF. Here’s how you can share your story with her.
