Two Sarasota gas stations did not receive contaminated Citgo fuel, state says

Staff report
·3 min read
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Gasoline contaminated by diesel fuel at the Port of Tampa last weekend is being cleaned from stations stretching along Florida's Gulf Coast. Two stations originally identified as having received the contaminated fuel in Sarasota did not actually get the fuel, according to updated information from state officials.
Gasoline contaminated by diesel fuel at the Port of Tampa last weekend is being cleaned from stations stretching along Florida's Gulf Coast. Two stations originally identified as having received the contaminated fuel in Sarasota did not actually get the fuel, according to updated information from state officials.

Two Sarasota gas supplied by Citgo were not among those that received gas contaminated by diesel fuel due to human error last weekend, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said in an update on the situation released Tuesday.

After emergency inspections and testing, the agency determined the following six stations did not receive the contaminated fuel shipment:

  • Dan's Car Wash: 39522 US Highway 19 N., Tarpon Springs

  • 7-Eleven: 3437 US Highway 19, Holiday

  • 7-Eleven: 13411 Fish Hawk Boulevard, Lithia

  • Quick & Easy Stop: 4529 Bee Ridge Rd., Sarasota

  • Palmers Easy Stop: 903 Cattleman Rd., Sarasota

  • 2K Express 5: 6202 N 40th St., Tampa

Another eight stations have been inspected, treated and cleared by FDACS for fuel sales:

  • 7-Eleven: 720 Chiquita Boulevard, North Cape Coral

  • 7-Eleven: 2604 Skyline Boulevard, Cape Coral

  • 7-Eleven: 601 Pine Island Rd. S.W., Cape Coral

  • 7-Eleven: 6050 Dean Dairy Road, Zephyrhills

  • 7-Eleven: 714 Burnt Store Road, Cape Coral

  • Handy Foods Store #87: 3205 Lee Blvd., Lehigh Acres

  • Faulkenburg CITGO: 5320 Faulkenburg Road, Tampa

  • PJI LLC: 7977 W Dunnellon Road, Dunnellon (Regular and premium fuel was not contaminated, only diesel fuel)

Seventeen stations remain under a stop sale order pending laboratory confirmation::

  • 7-Eleven: 4325 Lee Boulevard, Lehigh Acres

  • 7-Eleven: 12750 South Cleveland Avenue, Fort Myers

  • 7-Eleven: 290 Lakeland Park Road, Lakeland

  • 7-Eleven: 940 S Broad St., Brooksville

  • 7-Eleven: 1626 Meadow Road, Lehigh Acres

  • 7-Eleven: 2401 James Redman Parkway, Plant City

  • BJ's Wholesale: 1929 Pine Island Road N.E., Cape Coral

  • BJ's Wholesale: 9372 Ben C Pratt Six Mile Cypress Pkwy., Fort Myers

  • BJ's Wholesale: 13585 NE 86th Path, Lady Lakes

  • Handy Foods Store #86: 21321 Palm Beach Blvd., Alva

  • Superday CITGO: 1595 South McCall Road, Port Charlotte

  • Bolton One LLC: 15434 US Highway 19, Hudson

  • JHW #310 - DBA Avenue CITGO: 11867 N. Williams St., Dunellon

  • AL Prime - Daytona Beach: 1898 S. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach

  • Choice Food & Gas: 310 N Central Ave., Umatilla

  • Perfection Station 5: 9931 N Florida Ave., Tampa

  • Rogers Petroleum: 134 N Desoto Ave., Arcadia

On Aug. 27, the department announced that it had identified a potentially widespread fuel contamination caused by human error at the Port of Tampa that impacted gas stations in the Tampa Bay area supplied by Citgo. Any fuel purchased from 10 a.m. on Saturday Aug. 26 through Sunday, Aug. 27, at impacted stations was considered to have a strong likelihood of being contaminated with diesel fuel.

Contaminated gasoline and diesel have the potential of causing engine damage or affecting operability, the agency said in a news release. Impacted stations were ordered to stop selling gas until the contaminated fuel is replaced and tanks are cleaned. Once the stations are cleared or have completed a corrective action plan fuel will once again be safe for purchase.

The agency said there were no reports of disrupted fuel supply in the region.

Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson said, "It is never good to have such a catastrophic error for consumers, but particularly during a time when Floridians are evacuating from a potentially dangerous storm. I firmly believe our department was able to mitigate what could have been a worse situation. We stand ready to assist those whose vehicles and equipment were impacted by contaminated fuel."

FDACS's news release included a statement from Citgo saying it was working with the locations to remove contaminated product from the affected stations and to return the locations to normal operations.

"If, however, you have purchased fuel from one of these locations on or after Aug. 26, and are concerned your vehicle may be impacted, you can initiate a claim through the Citgo Good Gas Guarantee program https://www.citgo.com/contact-us," the statement said.

Consumers may also file a complaint by contacting the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer services by calling 1-800-HELP-FLA or online at www.fdacs.gov. Call Centers will be temporarily closed on Wednesday due to Hurricane Idalia.

Citgo gas contamination: How to tell if you got diesel fuel in your gas tank

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Stations in Sarasota among those cleared to sell Citgo gas