PEMBROKE PINES, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida congresswoman is calling for action as pain at the pump continues in South Florida and across the country with gas prices on the rise.
The national average is now over $4, and it could be seen at a Costco in Pembroke Pines where vehicle owners on Monday tried to take advantage of any kind of discount they can get.
“Terrible, never, I’ve been living in the United States for 55 years, never at that price, never,” said a driver at the Costco.
“Don’t get me started on the prices going up, I just try not to look,” said a driver.
“I just hope that it doesn’t go all the way up to $5,” said another driver.
Workers said that the Easter holiday had some drivers waiting until Monday to get a few cents off per gallon.
“We were waiting for some time for it to get better, hopefully soon,” said a hopeful driver.
“It’s very high, the price is outrageous, you know. I don’t know how we’re going to buy with this,” said a driver.
According to AAA, the rising fuel cost numbers are due to the ongoing conflict in Iran with the Strait of Hormuz, where 20% of the world’s oil all comes through.
“Florida gas prices jumped over $4 for the first time in four years, and now drivers are spending more than $20 more to fill up an average size tank of gas,” said AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins. “And that uncertainty is being baked into fuel prices.”
According to AAA, the average price of gas in Florida is $4.19, with the average in Miami-Dade at $4.15 and $4.24 in Broward.
Late Monday night, drivers shared their struggles as they dealt with the high gas prices.
“I live in Kendall, I commute to Coral Gables here. It used to be about $35 to $40 now its about $50 to $55 that I’m filling up, so its a lot,” said Dolores Collazo.
“It’s not been thrilling, thankfully I’m just a student so I’m not driving a ton,” said Henry Wien.
As prices skyrocket, truckers across the United States have also felt the impact.
“I used to be able to fill up my truck for $200 or $250. That’s 100 gallons, now its half the prices so it’s really doubled,” said Daniel Canada, a trucker from New York.
Companies such as the United States Postal Service, Fedex, and Amazon have said they will add fuel surcharges to offset extra costs.
Locals have also been affected by the increased gas costs, like music teacher and special needs mom Cari Barter.
“Two of my children are in therapy and we’ve had to give up therapy as well, so it’s very difficult, and we’re doing our best to get by,” said Barter.
She said she’s had to upcharge some clients who live farther away, and some could not travel to her.
“At least four or five of my students, so that’s basically half my income right now,” said Barter.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., held a press conference Monday where she highlighted some of the problems.
“Diesel fuel is what most trucks use to deliver our food and durable goods to stores, and diesel prices are through the roof,” she said. “A year ago, the national price was $3.64 a gallon. Diesel now costs almost $2 more, sitting at $5.60 a gallon.”
Barter and others were brought to the conference to highlight rising gas costs.
“None of us can escape high fuel prices, if you need to drive for a living or have a long commute, you’re getting hit extremely hard at the pump,” said Wasserman Schultz.
President Donald Trump pointed to Iran during his address to the nation last Wednesday.
“This short-term increase has been entirely the result of the Iranian regime launching deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers in neighboring countries that have nothing to do with the conflict,” he said.
Wasserman Schultz said she would like the Trump administration to sit down with Congress and talk about a plan to get the Strait of Hormuz up and moving again to get some of these ships through.
That is a much larger question for residents in South Florida and across the country as they try to figure out how they’re going to fill up their tanks and not break the bank.
“This has been all my life, up and down, up and down and there’s always a correction,” said Jesse Fernandez.
“I’m hoping to see it go down soon,” said Wien.
“Take it day by day and be patient, and see where all this goes, but yeah, hopefully it’ll go down,” said Collazo.
Diesel fuel has been averaged at around $5 nationwide, as it has gone up around a dollar a gallon over a month.
AAA and other experts over the last few weeks have said the best thing gas consumers can do is monitor their driving and join discount clubs. Some major gas stations will have discount programs that they can join as well.
This is the first time in four years that gas prices have gone above $4.
Experts also said that other prices such as groceries could also increase.
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