TAMPA, Fla. — If you're one of the 5.8 million Floridians preparing to hit the road ahead of the holidays, we've got some good news.
Gas prices have fallen for the fifth consecutive week in a row.
The average price for a gallon of gas in Tampa fell 13.2 cents in the last week to $2.97, according to GasBuddy. That's 47.3 cents lower than a month ago and 22.5 cents cheaper than a year ago.
Across the state, the average price for a gallon of gas has fallen 54 cents since mid-November, AAA reports. That brings Florida's average gas price to $3.04 per gallon — the lowest daily average since Sept. 2021.
The national average is following suit, too. Travelers can consider it an early Christmas gift after a year of fluctuating gas prices.
"The plunge at the pump is the result of falling oil prices, which have plummeted primarily due to market concerns about a global economic recession," Mark Jenkins, public relations manager for AAA said. "Lower oil prices lowers the cost of producing gasoline. These low gas prices should hang around through the end of the year, unless oil prices unexpectedly rebound."
Drivers should enjoy the lower prices for now, as the experts say they're not likely to stick around for long.
"While the decline should take the national average under $3 per gallon in the next week or so, it is soon likely to fade as oil prices have held in the $70 per barrel range," Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said.
While holiday road trippers won't have to worry about high gas prices, they'll still have to look out for aggressive drivers on the road.
GasBuddy named Florida "the most aggressive driving state overall." Tampa-St. Petersburg, Jacksonville and Orlando all made the company's "naughty list" for habits like quick acceleration, hard braking and speeding.