HOLMES BEACH – Whether you call it “panic pumping” or “gas hoarding,” it’s causing problems for Island residents.
Anyone who has lived through a hurricane scare saw a familiar sight this week, as motorists lined up to get as much gas as they could. Topping off tanks and even filling multiple gas cans, the long lines seemed to be worth it for many residents and visitors.
Panic buying is not a new phenomenon; a year ago it was very difficult to find toilet paper, despite reports there was never an actual shortage. However, because of the perceived shortage, the panic buying nationwide eventually lead to a real shortage that lasted for months. While this will almost certainly not be the case with the current gas situation, it is nonetheless causing a short-term headache for many area residents.
The Colonial Pipeline moves and supplies gasoline and jet fuel to most of the southeast, running from Texas to New Jersey. It was cyber-attacked by a criminal organization called DarkSide, who demanded a $5 million ransom before they would allow the pipeline’s computer system to once again function. This led to the run on fuel, not only in affected states, but in places like Florida that gets almost all of its gas from tanker ships that cross the Gulf of Mexico.
“The numbers were big; we sold a ton of gas,” said Billy Wegman, who works at the Mobile station in Holmes Beach. Wegman said his station hadn’t had any incidents of motorists fighting over fuel or a place in line, but did experience the fuel hoarding firsthand.
“The only thing that I really saw was most people that came to fill their tanks up would also come with a gas can,” he said.
There have been reports of people putting gasoline into everything from water jugs to plastic grocery bags. For safety reasons, Florida Statute 526.141 states that fuel may not be dispensed into a container unless the container bears a seal of approval of a nationally recognized testing agency.
Wegman’s station, as well as the Circle K in Holmes Beach, were both out of regular and mid-grade fuel Thursday. The only thing available at the time was premium grade, with an average price of $3.55 a gallon.
“This is ridiculous, these are the same people that bought up all the toilet paper, now they’re taking all the gas, and there isn’t even a problem. There’s no shortage whatsoever; they’re just being ignorant and not listening. It’s really selfish,” Island resident Adam Gour said as he filled up his boat with premium fuel. “It’s already expensive to fill this thing up to begin with, now I have to spend an extra thirty bucks for a grade of gas this boat doesn’t even require,” added Gour.
Since Gov. Ron DeSantis has issued a state of emergency, it is illegal for gas station owners to price gouge. According to AAA, Florida gas prices have not risen significantly since the Colonial Pipeline outage was first reported. Drivers in the state were paying an average of $2.89 per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline on Wednesday, two cents higher than at this time last week. If you notice price gouging, take photos of the inflated price and report it to county authorities.
