The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline has dropped below $3 a gallon in the Tampa Bay area, according to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report. Local retailers are charging, on average, $2.94 for a gallon of regular unleaded, down from $3.78 a month ago, AAA reported today. A year ago, the same grade of fuel was averaging $2.79 a gallon in the Bay area. ...more

October 20, 2008

Gut-wrenching declines in the stock market, a financial panic that some have compared to the Great Depression and the realization that the U.S. may be headed to its worst recession in over a generation have trumped what should otherwise be good news: The return of $3-a-gallon gas. ...more

October 18, 2008

Southwest Airlines attributed the loss to a $247 million special accounting charge against its fuel-hedging program for the quarter, which ended Sept. 30. Those contracts are less valuable now that oil prices have plunged by nearly half since July. ...more

October 17, 2008

Charles Moriarty's pickup hasn't seen a full tank of gas since he bought it in March. ...more

October 14, 2008

Gasoline prices in the Tampa Bay area have plunged 28 cents a gallon in one week. ...more

October 13, 2008

Motorists are paying less at the pump as oil prices plunge amid decreased demand, and industry observers say the trend is expected to continue. ...more

October 6, 2008

The Dow plunged Monday more than 370 points and oil prices rocketed more than $25 a barrel - the biggest one-day jump ever - as anxiety about the government's $700 billion bailout plan sent new shockwaves through the markets. ...more

September 23, 2008

The bank account Pasco County has used for years to underwrite neighborhood road paving projects is shrinking rapidly, a victim of higher oil prices, the county's chief financial officer said recently. ...more

September 7, 2008

Stocks Plummet After Retail, Unemployment Data NEW YORK (AP) - Dejected investors sent stocks plunging Thursday, hurtling the Dow Jones industrials down more than 340 points after retailers and the government added to a mountain of bad economic news and devastated hopes for a late-year recovery. ...more

September 7, 2008

Why protect Florida's beaches from oil drilling? It's simple: Florida's beaches are ranked as some of the best in the country for their beauty, accessibility and facilities. For the sixth time since 1992, a Florida beach has been recognized as the "Best Beach in America" by Dr. Steven Leatherman, a.k.a. "Dr. Beach". ...more

September 2, 2008