JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — If you’re one of the more than two million Floridians preparing to drive to visit your family and friends for Thanksgiving this year, you’re going to have to dig a little deeper into your wallet to fill up your gas tank.
Gas is going to be more expensive this holiday season than usual.
But Governor Ron DeSantis has a plan to bring those prices down, eventually.
He visited a Daily’s in Jacksonville today to share more about his plan bring some relief to Floridians.
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Action News Jax Courtney Cole attended the press conference to learn more about his plan and how soon it could go into effect.
It’s the Monday ahead of Thanksgiving and some people have already started road tripping to their Thanksgiving destinations.
And whether you drive a car or an SUV, filling up the tank is probably putting a more sizeable dent in your wallet than usual.
“I had to drive to a few different gas stations to find the lowest price. It’s something I do around here a lot,” said Matthew Vilma.
Vilma said he wasn’t happy about it, but it was necessary.
Sicily Cintron described the gas prices to me as “insane!”
“I used to pay $18 in gas, and now I’m paying like almost into the 40s. That’s like double! That’s crazy!” Cintron exclaimed.
Governor Ron DeSantis stopped in Jacksonville today at a Daily’s on Kernan Boulevard South, to share his plan to lower prices at the pump.
He wants to shave 25 cents off a gallon.
According to the governor, that would break down to about $200 in savings for the average family in Florida.
However, this idea needs to be passed by the Florida Legislature in the next legislative session—which begins next year, in 2022.
Gas stations also have to buy into the idea as well. According to the governor, several gas station companies in Florida are committed to lowering prices at the pump if the proposal is approved.
The governor said the state is in great financial shape and said he’s confident it will get done.
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“I think it’s a good idea. It’s something that everyone wants, it’s something that we need,” Vilma.
“Anything really helps at this point, you know?” Cintron added.
Courtney Cole: “Governor DeSantis, you are proposing over $1 billion in gas tax release. But that’s in the next legislative session, so that’s 2022. It’s been a tough year [for] everyone, Floridians included. What do you say to Florida families who say we need help right now?”
Governor Ron DeSantis: “I would tell them to contact their members of Congress and have them press the Biden administration to change course on what they were doing. Because they are the ones that are driving this.”
When Cole asked Governor DeSantis if this issue has become too political and if it’s stopped true progress from happening he said:
“So that’s a good quest[ion]… all this is politics… we live in a polarized time. And it just seems like one team versus the other and there is definitely some truth to that,” DeSantis said.
Regardless of what your political affiliation is—according to AAA, if you live in Florida—you are paying more for gas this Thanksgiving holiday than you have in 8 years.
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Something Vilma says he hopes ends sooner rather than later.
“Because it’s affecting all of us and our pockets, a lot,” Vilma.
According to AAA, there are some ways you can still get the most for your money: shop around, keep your vehicle in good shape, and paying in cash, because some gas stations charge a few cents per gallon more for customers who pay with a credit card.
See the news conference below:
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