TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Gas Price-Gouging Complaints Pour In; Hillsborough Tops List

ADVERTISEMENT

By RUSSELL RAY | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 17, 2008

TAMPA - Despite thousands of price-gouging complaints statewide, gasoline prices in Florida continued to rise today.

In the Tampa Bay area, regular unleaded is averaging $3.84 a gallon, 2 cents higher than Tuesday, according to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report. A year ago, Bay area motorists were paying $2.74 a gallon on average for the same grade of fuel.

A Citgo station at Linebaugh Avenue and Countryway Boulevard was charging $3.99 a gallon for regular unleaded this morning.

The statewide average is $3.88 a gallon, AAA said. Nationally, regular unleaded is averaging $3.86 a gallon, up from $3.74 a month ago. The spike in gas prices is courtesy of Hurricane Ike, which diminished fuel supplies by shutting down offshore oil production platforms in the Gulf and onshore refineries in Texas.

The office of Florida's attorney general says it had received more than 2,100 price-gouging complaints by this morning. Hillsborough County's 200 complaints put it in first place. Duval County came in second with 145, and Leon County was third with 144.

Reporter Russell Ray can be reached at (813) 259-7870 or rray@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT