Gas Shortage in Florida Caused by Consumers

What a week! Our friends Sheryl & Daniel visited us from Seattle. We went to the beach on Friday and as we arrived back to Tallahassee around 4 PM we noticed that every gas station we passed had a crazy long line of cars at every pump. We began to get nervous and wonder what we had missed while we were out of town. As we got closer to our home, we noticed several of the gas stations were completely out of gas. Their price signs were blank and they were deserted. It was creepy.

As soon as we got home we went online to see if we could figure out what was going on. I found and skimmed over an article from the local paper online that said gas prices were going to go up 20 to 30 cents a gallon but that one gas station in town advertised that is was going to raise prices to $5.50/gallon that weekend. It kept emphasizing that there is no gas shortage even though all those oil rigs in the gulf near Texas had shut down because of the hurricanes. So, apparently everyone raced to the pumps to get the last of the cheaper gas and actually caused the gas shortage in town. Thanks a lot, guys.

We were thinking about spending 2 nights in Destin (160 miles one way) so we needed to have a full tank of gas in order to make the trip. We didn't get any gas that evening and forgot to get some until the next night at 9 PM because we were just chilling at home all day. We waited in line behind 4 cars and a motorcycle at the only gas station in the area that had any gas left. We paid $4.11/gallon and they were letting each person buy only $40 worth. It was reported there was only one other station in town with gas and it was $5.49/gallon there. We were thankful to get enough gas to get us on the road to Destin because the attendant said they weren't getting any more gas until Monday.

We found another station with gas many miles outside of town and topped off the tank for $3.95/gallon. The gas stations in Destin were out of gas too. It was insane. If the gas shipment came in on Monday like that one attendant said, there must have been a rush to the pumps again because most stations were totally out when we arrive home Tuesday afternoon. I took Sheryl & Daniel to the airport at 6 AM this morning and then decided to fill up my gas tank again since we used a good portion of it for the Destin trip and since there was still a shortage. I bought gas for $3.93/gallon and the pumps were pumping sooooo slowly. It was annoying because I had to stand there and squeeze the nozzle handle the whole time because it didn't have that little piece that allows you to let go and have it still pumping. And then the stupid thing didn't shut off automatically when my tank was full so some of it spilled over and splattered on my feet. Thankfully, only a few drips landed on me so I didn't smell like gasoline.

I went home and decided to see how much gas was in Craig's Jeep (he was still sleeping as it was only about 7 AM). It only had 1/4 of a tank so I went back to that gas station and filled it up. It took even longer to fill than my car because it was emptier and the pumps were running even slower. I'm not exaggerating when I say this, but the pump was dispensing only one cent per second or just a tad faster for a lot of the time. It sped up for a little bit just when 2 cars left and no one else had moved in yet. It was sooooooo ridiculous. And it didn't shut off automatically again, but at least this time I suspected it. It took me literally 30 minutes to pump 13 gallons of gas!! I'm so glad the pump was available right when I pulled in or I would have had to wait about 30 minutes for someone else to pump their gas and 30 minutes for my own gas. I hate slow pumps! I hate that people panic and make things worse! At least now we are set for a couple of weeks if we limit our driving (which is easy since neither of us have a daily commute).