Florida Is Trying To Keep The Gas Flowing Ahead of Hurricane Milton, But Gas Stations Are Closing Fast

Hurricane Milton is bearing down the Gulf Coast of Florida, and as of right now, it’s shaping up to be one of those once-in-a-generation biblically large storms we seem to get every other year now. Folks in the Sunshine State are heeding warnings from officials to evacuate – and most of them are doing so by car. Because of this, gas is getting a little bit hard to come by, but there are teams of people making sure fuel is flowing from pumps across Florida.

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Florida Governor “Meatball” Ron DeSantis told residents in an early morning press conference on October 8 that there was “no fuel shortage.” I’m not totally sure if that’s the case. As of 11:10 a.m. on October 8, GasBuddy says 43.06 percent of gas stations in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area are without fuel. 27.79 percent of stations in Fort Myers/Naples have no gas, 24.71 percent in Gainesville and 14.68 percent in Orlando/Daytona Beach are in the same boat. Overall, GasBuddy says that 15.79 percent of the 7,912 gas stations in all of Florida are out of fuel. That works out to 1,146 stations where you can’t fillup. It’s really bad out there right now, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets much worse.

Still, there are plenty of stations still up and running for people to use. Here’s what Ron said at a press conference in Tallahassee about making sure gas was still flowing, according to WPTV:

Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state has amassed massive fuel reserves ahead of Milton’s impact, and crews have been dispatching fuel across the state over the past 24 hours to gas stations that have run out.

“There is no fuel shortage,” DeSantis said. “Fuel continues to arrive in the state of Florida by port and what we’re doing to bring it in on the ground. But lines at gas stations have been long. Gas stations are running out quicker than they otherwise would. And that is causing the state of Florida to help assist with the mission to be able to get fuel to the gas stations.”

He added that the state’s current reserves include 268,000 gallons of diesel and 110,000 gallons of gasoline. There is also an additional 1.2 million gallons of gasoline and diesel headed to the state, WPTV reports.

Monday night, the Florida Highway Patrol escorted 27 fuel trucks to gas stations in the “anticipated impact area.” In addition, state officials are working with fuel companies like RaceTrac, Wawa, Shell, and Walmart to “ensure fuel trucks are working 24/7 to keep fuel delivered as it comes into our ports.”

[…]

The FHP, meanwhile, is using the right shoulder of major highways like Interstate 4 and Interstate 75 to move fuel more quickly and efficiently.

“It’s important for the continuity of operations that we have that space to work in the right shoulder. Please don’t occupy the right shoulder. The left shoulder in the affected parts of I-4 and I-75 are open for your use,” said Dave Kerner, the director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Milton is forecasted to make landfall as a Category 3 hurricane around 11 p.m. on Wednesday night in the Tampa Bay area, but gas stations across the state are already experiencing huge lines as drivers rush to fill up their cars before it’s too late to get out.

The storm could have lasting impacts on fuel availability even after it’s gone, as WPTV explains:

Jared Perdue, the secretary of Florida’s Department of Transportation, said seaports on the west coast of Florida have closed on the water side, but are operational on the land side and “fuel is continuing to move” out of terminals there.

DeSantis said the state is anticipating “significant damage” to Gulf coast ports like the Port of Tampa and is operating as if there will be an interruption to fuel shipments there.

Listen, if you’re in Florida and you’re reading this, get out now. Don’t fuck with this storm, man. Your stuff isn’t worth losing your life over. Find gas and head north.

This is still a developing story, and Jalopnik will update it if and when new information becomes available.