Pain at the pump: Bay County faces even higher gasoline prices soon as inflation continues
PANAMA CITY BEACH — Robert Roy, a New York resident visiting Panama City Beach, says he feels bad for those living in poverty who are undoubtedly struggling to deal with rising prices in the wake of record-high inflation rates.
As he pumped gasoline in his car Tuesday at the Busy Bee in Panama City Beach, where a gallon of unleaded gasoline cost $3.29, Roy said it seems odd for prices in the Panhandle to be comparable to those in his home state, which boasted an average of $3.48 that same day, information on AAA's website showed.
"We have extremely high taxes on gasoline (in New York), so I'm surprised it's (almost) as expensive down here," he said. "I 100% blame (this and other inflated prices) on too much easy money. Not just stimulus, but too much easy money in general. I feel really sorry for the kids and people who are poor because even if they (get) 25% more in food stamps, they're still going to be limited."
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Past reports noted that the inflation rate for the United States hit 6.2% in October, which was the highest for more than three decades, according to the Consumer Price Index.
According to AAA Florida, gasoline costs an average of $3.13 a gallon in Bay County on Wednesday, up about $0.2 from Tuesday. Both are less than $0.10 cheaper than a month ago and about $0.85 more than during the same time last year.
Though local prices have slightly declined since the end of the 2021 holiday season, Mark Jenkins, spokesman for AAA, said that could soon change as summer approaches and demand skyrockets. He also said crude oil prices have rebounded from the slight dip they took toward the end of last year, when the omicron variant of COVID-19 emerged.
"Gas prices and the fuel market as a whole is extremely volatile," Jenkins said. "We're going to see gas prices increase because oil prices are rising right now and dragging gas prices, (but) how much higher they go is the big question. Things are changing ... on a week to week basis, so it's really difficult to forecast where they're going to be in a month's time."
For Kelly Tommy, a Bonifay resident who also got gasoline at the Busy Bee on Tuesday, rising prices since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic have made it quite expensive for him to commute to his job at Harley-Davidson of Panama City Beach.
Tommy, who said he worries inflation will snowball in the near future, added that he spends at least $40 a week on gasoline to travel between the two cities.
"I really don't care Democratic or Republican, we need (a president who is) responsible, (and) somebody who does the job for the people and not for special interest groups," he said. "It's going to get a whole lot worse before it ever gets better."
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Bay County Florida could see gasoline prices soon rise this year
